mi^mmmmmmimtlmm* 


;HE  WORKER  andWORK  SERIES 


T 

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JENT 


RANK  L.  BROWN 


JUL  ^71922       *j 


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BV  1531  .B6  1922 
Brown,  Frank  Llewellyn, 

1863-1922. 
The  superintendent 


THE  WORKER  AND  WORK  SERIES 

THE  BEGINNERS'  WORKER  AND  WORK.        Frederica  Beard 

THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK.  Marion  Thomas 

THE  JUNIOR  WORKER  AND  WORK.  Josephine  L.  Baldwin 

LEADERS  OF  YOUTH  (Intermediates  and  Seniors) .  Hugh  H.  Harris 

LEADERS  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE.  Frank  Wade  Smith 

THE  ADULT  WORKER  AND  WORK.      Wade  Crawford  Barclay 

THE  SUPERINTENDENT.  Frank  L.  Brown 

THE  WORKER  AND  HIS  CHURCH.  Eric  M.  North 

THE  WORKER  AND  HIS  BIBLE. 

Frederick  C.  Eiselen  and  Wade  Crawford  Barclay 


The  Worker  and  Work  Series 

HENRY  H.  MEYER,  Editor 


The 
Superintendent 

FRANK  L.  BROWN 


le/CALSEU^^' 


THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1922,  by 
PRANK  L.  BROWN 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


To  My  Friend 
JOHN  WANAMAKER 

WHO,  AS  A  SUPERINTENDENT  FOR  MORE   THAN   SIXTY 
YEARS     OF   THE     BeTHANY    PrESBYTERIAN    SuNDAY 

School  of  Philadelphia,  has  been  the  inspirer 

of  untold  numbers  of  superintendents  in  this 

and  other  lands,  this  book  is  affectionately 

dedicated 


CONTENTS 


Editor's  Introduction 9 

Preface 11 

I.    The  Institution 13 

II.    The  Superintendent 27 

III.  The  School  Graded 39 

IV.  The  School  Equipped 47 

V.    The  School  Organized 57 

VI.     The   Administrative   Staff 74 

VII.    Department  Management 92 

VIII.    The  Educational  Superintendent 118 

IX.    Program  and  Session 128 

X.     Platform  Instruction 152 

XL     Sunday-School    Music 168 

XII.     The  Superintendent  and  His  Teachers 182 

XIII.  The  Workers'  Conference 195 

XIV.  The  Superintendent  and  the  Pupil 207 

XV.     Recreation  and  Organizations 222 

XVI.     The  Superintendent  and  the  Home 240 

XVII.     The  Week-Day  Program 256 

XVIII.     Missions  in  the  Sunday  School 266 

XIX.  Temperance     and    Purity    in    the    Sunday 

School 281 

XX.     Social  Service  in  the  Sunday  School 291 

XXI.     Special  Days  in  the  School 300 

XXII.     Evangelism  in  the  Sunday  School 332 

XXIII.  The  Country  and  Village  School 347 

XXIV.  The  School's  Upbuilding 365 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 
To  THE  Memory  of  Frank  L.   Brown 

The  revision  of  The  Superintendent,  first  written  in 
1910,  was  the  last  work  of  authorship  of  Dr.  Frank  L. 
Brown.  The  task  was  completed  while  he  was  at  Clifton 
Springs,  New  York,  under  medical  care,  in  the  late  summer 
of  1921.  As  this  book  is  in  process  of  manufacture,  the 
report  of  the  author's  death  brings  a  sense  of  deep  per- 
sonal loss  to  thousands  of  Sunday-school  workers  through- 
out the  world. 

For  several  years  past  Dr.  Brown  has  been  general  sec- 
retary of  the  World's  Sunday  School  Association,  directing 
its  affairs  with  efficiency  and  constantly  increasing  its  in- 
fluence throughout  world-wide  Protestantism.  To  Meth- 
odists, however,  he  is  best  known  as  the  superintendent 
of  the  Bushwick  Avenue  Central  Sunday  School  in  Brook- 
lyn, a  school  that  he  founded  as  a  mission  and  of  which  he 
was  superintendent  to  the  day  of  his  death.  His  spiritual 
devotion,  ceaseless  activity,  and  enterprise  made  Bushwick 
Avenue  Sunday  School  everywhere  known  not  only  as  one 
of  the  largest  but  also  as  one  of  the  best  Sunday  schools 
in  Methodism.  For  years  scarcely  a  Sunday  passed  with- 
out visitors,  from  one  to  a  score  or  more,  coming  many  of 
them  from  distant  places  to  observe  and  learn.  No  alert 
observer  ever  went  away  without  carrying  with  him  some 
fruitful  suggestion  for  the  improvement  of  his  own  work. 
Into  Bushwick  Avenue  Sunday  School  Frank  L.  Brown 
built  his  life  and  personality.  It  is  a  living  monument 
that  will  endure.  The  Superintendent  reflects  very  largely 
his  own  experience  as  superintendent. 

As  a  member  from  the  time  of  its  organization  of  the 
Board  of  Sunday  Schools,  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, of  important  committees  of  these  and  other  organ- 
izations, and  of  several  General  Conferences  Dr.  Brown 
made  a  large  contribution  to  modern  Methodism.  With  all 
his  usefulness  as  a  Christian  layman  he  will  be  best  re- 

9 


10  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

membered  by  those  who  knew  him  intimately  as  a  friend 
and  brother.  He  was  a  lover  of  men,  rich  in  those  quali- 
ties of  character  which  stand  forth  preeminently  as  marks 
of  the  Christian  man. 

The  history  of  executive  and  administrative  offices  in  ed- 
ucation is  distinctively  modern.  The  teaching  function 
may  be  traced  from  an  early  period  of  civilization,  but  the 
function  of  educational  management,  as  a  distinct  field,  is 
of  very  recent  development.  In  the  case  of  our  American 
public  schools  the  city  superintendency  is  so  new  an  office 
that  as  late  as  1870  there  were  only  twenty-seven  such 
officials  in  the  United  States.  Within  the  last  few  years 
the  field  and  responsibility  of  supervising  and  managing 
officials  both  in  the  public  schools  and  the  church  schools 
have  been  very  largely  increased.  Colleges,  normal  schools, 
training  schools,  and  other  institutions  are  recognizing 
the  importance  of  training  for  this  type  of  leadership. 

But  religious  education  has  been  slow  in  making  plans 
for  training  in  administrative  work.  This  was  greatly 
regretted  by  the  author.  By  tongue  and  pen  he  urged  in 
season  and  out  the  importance  of  training  for  Sunday- 
school  superintendents. 

The  author  recognized  that  the  ideal  condition  of  Sun- 
day-school affairs  would  involve  a  thorough  professional 
preparation  for  every  superintendent.  Even  to  give  our 
superintendents  the  lesser  advantage  of  short-term  train- 
ing courses  would  be  very  desirable.  But  the  actual  situa- 
tion necessitates  the  service  of  a  large  number  of  volunteer 
superintendents,  most  of  whom  approach  their  task  with- 
out even  an  apprentice  training  for  their  work.  It  was  for 
these  that  Dr.  Brown  wrote  The  Superintendent.  It  is  not 
intended  primarily  as  a  textbook  in  either  the  theory  or 
practice  of  Sunday-school  administration.  It  is,  rather,  a 
handbook  of  method,  a  compendium  for  the  guidance  of 
superintendents  in  the  multitude  of  greater  and  lesser 
problems  that  come  to  them  for  solution. 

The  Editors. 


PREFACE 

The  importance  of  the  office  of  the  Sunday-school  super- 
intendent has  grown  with  the  expansion  of  the  Sunday 
school,  with  advance  in  its  educational  ideals,  and  with  its 
increasingly  important  relation  to  the  church,  its  com- 
munity touch  and  world-wide  reach. 

The  nearly  200,000  Sunday  schools  of  this  country  are 
superintended  by  men  and  women  who  are  among  the 
busiest  in  the  church  and  community  life,  leaders  sincerely 
anxious  to  make  the  most  of  their  office  and  hungry  for 
practical  help,  as  much  so  as  any  of  the  office-bearers  of  the 
church. 

This  book  has  been  written  out  of  the  experience  and  ob- 
servation of  thirty-five  years  of  work  as  a  superintendent, 
with  the  purpose  of  assisting  my  fellow  superintendents, 
or  those  in  training  for  service,  in  preparing  for  effective 
work.  Not  all  the  suggestions  made  or  plans  outlined  may 
be  applied  in  any  one  school.  The  ideals  presented,  how- 
ever, we  trust,  will  not  be  found  impracticable  in  any  case. 

It  takes  most  of  us  as  superintendents  many  years  to 
come  to  even  an  approximate  completeness  in  results,  for 
we  are  limited  often  as  to  equipment  or  helpers.  The  best 
superintendents  are  never  satisfied  with  their  work.  The 
horizon  is  continually  lifting  and  the  vision  broadening. 

The  superintendent  of  the  small  school  can  have  a  school 
as  complete  and  high  in  quality  as  the  large  city  school, 
and  usually  more  satisfactory  in  its  results  through  the 
possibility  of  the  individual  touch.  The  supreme  goal  in 
Sunday-school  work — the  shaping  of  Christian  character  for 
the  world's  service — can  be  attained  in  the  smallest  school 
and  under  any  limitations  if  there  are  atmosphere,  love, 
prayer,  patience,  and  persistent  and  tactful  effort. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  for  illustrative  material  in 
these  pages  is  made  to  The  Sunday  School  Journal,  The 
Church  School,  and  the  Sunday  School  Executive, 

Frank  L.  Brown. 
11 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  INSTITUTION 

1.  Aim.  and  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school.  Before 
the  superintendent  can  know  his  task  he  should  have  clearly 
in  mind  the  aim  and  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school  and  its 
place  in  relation  to  the  home,  the  church,  the  community, 
the  nation,  and  the  world.  He  should  know  something  of 
the  Sunday-school  movement  and  its  important  part  in  the 
shaping  of  individual  and  world  character. 

Let  us  glance  at  a  few  of  the  great  definitions  of  the  Sun- 
day school  in  its  aim  and  purpose:  "The  Sunday  school  is 
the  world's  greatest  institution  for  popularizing  the  world's 
greatest  Book."  "The  Sunday  school  is  the  Bible-teaching 
service  of  the  church."  "The  Sunday  school  is  an  organ- 
ized and  scientific  effort  for  religious  education."  "The 
purpose  of  the  Sunday  school  is  to  teach  religious  truth, 
chiefly  through  the  Bible,  for  the  formation  and  develop- 
ment of  religious  character."^  "What,  then,  is  the  end  of 
Sunday-school  work?  Character  training  for  service  in  the 
extension  of  the  Kingdom."  "The  function  of  the  Sunday 
school  is  to  grow  souls  possessed  by  Christ's  passion  to 
win  souls.  It  should  be  keyed  to  the  purpose  of  giving  the 
gospel  to  every  creature." 

F.  B.  Meyer,  former  president  of  the  World's  Sunday 
School  Association,  has  said:  "I  received  at  the  World's 
Sunday  School  Convention  at  Rome  a  new  vision.  If  the 
world  is  ever  to  be  saved,  it  must  be  saved  through  its 
childhood."  Said  Moody,  "If  we  can  save  one  generation  of 
children,  the  devil  will  be  out  of  business."  Gladstone  said, 
"Talk  about  the  questions  of  the  time;  there  is  but  one 
question — how  to  bring  the  truth's  of  God's  Word  into  vital 

1  Cliftou  Couference. 

13 


14  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

contact  with  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all  classes  of  people." 
The  Sunday  school  is  recognized  as  the  only  institution  that 
is  equipped  for  this  great  task  by  reason  of  its  organization, 
its  personnel,  and  its  great  objectives. 

The  Sunday  school  is  rising  splendidly  to  its  opportunity 
through  the  perfecting  of  its  organization,  the  development 
of  its  literature,  the  Inclusion  of  all  ages  in  its  plans,  the 
training  of  its  workers,  its  use  of  a  sane  evangelism,  its 
outreach  into  the  community  and  the  world.  It  is  more 
and  more  commanding  the  respect  of  educators.  It  is  en- 
listing in  its  voluntary  service  the  fidelity,  the  intelligence, 
and  the  business  genius  of  nearly  two  millions  of  Sunday- 
school  officers  and  teachers  in  North  America  alone.  It  is 
rapidly  increasing  in  numbers  and  efl^iciency. 

This  will  be  the  Sunday-school  century.  We  are  already 
in  the  swing  of  a  Sunday-school  movement  that  will  lay  a 
new  moral  foundation  under  the  state,  offset  the  influences 
that  threaten  our  civilization,  save  the  church  from  decay, 
bring  religion  back  to  the  home,  add  a  new  vitality  to 
Christian  missions,  and  train  leadership  for  service  to  the 
community,  country,  and  world. 

2.  Religious  instruction  previous  to  modern  times. 
One  of  the  earliest  schools  of  religious  instruction  was 
formed  in  Abraham's  household.  Under  Jehoshaphat  the 
Levites  went  throughout  the  land  instructing  the  people 
in  the  law.  In  the  book  of  Nehemiah  there  is  the  account 
of  a  great  open-air  Bible  school,  with  Ezra  as  superinten- 
dent. The  order  of  service  and  list  of  assistants  are  given. 
Eighty  years  before  Christ,  Josephus  tells  us  of  what  are 
practically  Sabbath  schools  with  Primary,  Junior,  and 
Senior  Departments  and  graded  instruction. 

In  1527  Martin  Luther  conducted  Sunday  schools  in 
Germany,  and  about  1550  Carlo  Borromeo  was  promoting 
Sunday  schools  in  Milan,  743  existing  in  Italy  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  For  more  than  two  hundred  years  Sunday  chil- 
dren's services  have  been  held  in  Germany  under  the  name 
of  "children's  divine  service."    There  is  a  popular  idea  that 


THE  INSTITUTION  15 

Robert  Raikes  started  the  first  Sunday  school  in  1780;  but 
Henry  Clay  Trumbull,  in  his  Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday 
School,  has  pointed  out  that  as  early  as  1560  a  form  of  Sun- 
day school  had  been  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland.  There  are  instances  of  Sunday- 
school  work  between  this  date  and  Robert  Raikes'  time  at 
points  in  Scotland,  Wales,  England,  Ireland,  and  America. 

3.  The  Raikes  movement.  Robert  Raikes  was  born  in 
Gloucester  in  1736  and  died  in  1811.  He  started  his  first 
Sunday  school  in  "Sooty"  Alley,  Gloucester,  "and  thereby 
began  the  creation  of  a  new  race  out  of  the  social  waste" 
of  his  day.  My  grandmother  frequently  saw  Raikes,  a  fine- 
looking  Christian  gentleman,  and  many  times  told  me  as 
a  boy  how  he  went  about  the  streets  of  Gloucester  talking 
with  groups  of  children,  smiling  benevolently,  and  inviting 
them  to  his  school,  his  hands  lifting  his  coat  tails  mean- 
while. With  Mrs.  Bradburn,  to  whom,  with  three  others, 
he  paid  a  shilling  a  day,  he  would  lead  his  groups  of  poor 
boys  through  the  alleys,  the  street  crowd  shouting,  "Bobby 
Wildgoose  and  his  regiment."  Owing  to  the  character  of 
the  first  pupils  Raikes  was  called  the  "Founder  of  Ragged 
Schools,"  and  because  of  this  name  and  the  social  impli- 
cation involved,  a  prejudice  has  existed  against  the  Sun- 
day school  on  the  part  of  some  in  the  church,  especially 
in  England,  until  comparatively  recent  times.  These 
schools  were  not  at  first  connected  with  the  church. 
Raikes'  plan  was  to  assemble  the  children  from  ten  to 
twelve  in  the  forenoon.  They  assembled  again  at  one,  "and 
after  reading  a  lesson  they  were  conducted  to  church. 
After  church  they  were  employed  in  repeating  the  catechism 
till  half-past  five  and  then  dismissed  with  the  injunction 
to  go  home  without  making  a  noise  and  by  no  means  to 
play  in  the  street."  The  movement  grew  unexpectedly  to 
great  popularity.  Within  a  few  years  250,000  were  en- 
rolled in  the  schools  of  Great  Britain  alone;  and  William 
Pitt,  the  premier  of  Great  Britain,  who  was  opposed  to 
popular  education,  even  threatened  to  suppress  the  Sunday 


16  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

schools  by  a  Parliamentary  act,  but  was  dissuaded  by  en- 
thusiastic friends  of  the  new  movement.  The  Religious 
Tract  Society  of  London,  the  London  and  Church  Mis- 
sionary Societies,  and  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
were  inspired  by  the  Raikes  Sunday-school  movement. 
John  Wesley  was  quick  to  discover  the  value  of  the  new 
movement  and  in  1784  wrote:  "Perhaps  God  may  have  a 
deeper  end  therein  than  men  are  aware.  Who  knows  but 
what  some  of  these  schools  may  become  the  nurseries  for 
Christians?" 

The  Sunday  School  Union  of  London,  founded  in  1803,  is 
the  oldest  Sunday-school  organization.  Its  helpful  work 
has  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  British  Empire. 

4.  The  Sunday-school  movement  in  America.  While 
to  Bishop  Francis  Asbury  is  commonly  given  the  credit 
of  organizing  the  first  Sunday  school  in  America,  in  the 
house  of  Thomas  Grenshaw,  Hanover  County,  Virginia, 
in  1786,  there  are  instances  of  much  earlier  efforts,  even  as 
far  back  as  1632,  when  John  Eliot,  the  preacher  to  the  In- 
dians, established  in  the  First  Church  of  Roxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, a  "practice  for  training  up  youth,"  using  the 
catechism  and  Bible. 

The  American  Sunday  School  Union,  established  in  1824, 
was  a  merger  of  unions  at  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
Boston,  which  were  organized  somewhat  earlier.  One  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  thousand  Sunday  schools  have  been 
established  through  the  work  of  its  missionaries  in  104 
years  of  work,  especially  in  the  West  and  Far  West;  and  its 
good  work  is  still  going  on. 

The  Sunday  School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  organized  in  1827,  reporting  at  the  first  annual 
meeting  251  auxiliary  societies,  1,025  schools,  10,290  teach- 
ers, and  63,240  scholars.  It  passed  through  several  stages 
of  amalgamation  with  other  unrelated  church  interests, 
finally  emerging  from  the  General  Conference  of  1908  as  a 
separate  organization  known  as  the  Board  of  Sunday 
Schools,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago.     The  Sunday-school 


THE  INSTITUTION  17 

membership  reported  at  the  General  Conference  of  1920  was 
4,467,500.  The  Sunday-school  work  of  other  denominations 
is  carried  on  through  Sunday-school,  educational,  and  pub- 
lication boards  and  societies,  which  in  many  cases  use  the 
profits  on  Sunday-school  publications  in  extending  the  de- 
nominational Sunday-school  work  through  field  and  area 
educational  secretaries.  The  combined  official  denomina- 
tional Sunday-school  editorial,  secretarial,  and  publication 
interests  are  represented  in  the  Sunday  School  Council  of 
Evangelical  Denominations. 

The  International  Sunday  School  Association  grew  out  of 
interdenominational  Sunday-school  conventions,  the  first 
one  of  which  was  held  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  1832. 
These  conventions  were  held  irregularly  until  1869,  from 
which  time  they  have  been  held  triennially.  The  Inter- 
national Uniform  Lessons  were  adopted  at  the  Indianapolis 
Convention,  in  1872.  The  International  Graded  Lessons 
were  adopted  at  the  Louisville  Convention  in  1908.  The  In- 
ternational Association  has  promoted  Sunday-school  growth 
and  improved  methods  through  annual  conventions,  its 
secretarial  force,  its  literature,  and  through  its  auxiliary 
associations  in  the  States,  provinces,  and  counties  of  North 
America,  including  adjacent  islands.  There  are  in  North 
America,  according  to  the  report  at  the  Buffalo  Convention 
(1918),  195,343  schools,  1,874,705  officers  and  teachers,  and 
18,763,649  scholars. 

The  World's  Sunday  School  Association  is  a  development 
of  the  various  world's  conventions,  beginning  with  the  one 
held  in  London  in  1889,  the  succeeding  conventions  being 
held  in  Saint  Louis,  London,  Jerusalem,  Rome,  Washing- 
ton, Zurich,  and  Tokyo.  At  the  Rome  Convention,  with 
more  than  1,100  delegates  present,  the  World's  Sunday 
School  Association  was  organized  to  promote  Sunday-school 
organization,  conventions,  and  literature,  gather  statistics, 
and  to  cooperate  with  other  associations  in  advancing  Sun- 
day-school standards  throughout  the  whole  world.  Its 
specific  purpose   is  to  give  a  Sunday-school  vision  to  the 


18  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

workers  in  foreign  fields  and  to  give  a  missionary  vision 
to  the  schools  in  the  home  field.  As  the  result  of  confer- 
ences with  the  denominational  mission  and  Sunday-school 
boards  representatives  of  these  boards  are  officially  ap- 
pointed upon  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  World's  Sun- 
day School  Association.  The  Foreign  Mission  Conference 
of  North  America  appoints  twelve  of  these  representatives, 
and  the  Sunday  School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denomina- 
tions six. 

5.  The  relation  of  the  Sunday  school  to  the  church. 
The  Sunday  school  of  to-day  is  the  church  of  to-morrow. 
Church  statesmanship  and  the  wisest  strategy  will  con- 
serve the  mighty  possibilities  of  the  Sunday  school.  "What- 
ever you  would  have  appear  in  the  life  of  the  church  must 
first  be  put  into  the  Sunday  school."  The  Sunday  school 
is  not  the  nursery  of  the  church.  In  the  modern  form,  as 
the  church  school,  the  Bible-studying  service  of  the  entire 
church,  it  is  entitled  to  and  is  receiving  all  ages  into  its 
membership.  It  is  regrettable  that  the  Sunday  school  was 
first  started  as  an  institution  apart  from  the  church,  for 
this  fact  for  some  years  divested  the  church  of  a  direct 
responsibility  for  it,  and  there  are  not  a  few  belated  min- 
isters even  in  this  day  who  persist  in  keeping  the  church 
and  Sunday  school  apart  and  are  rarely  found  at  the  Sun- 
day-school service.  In  many  cases,  even  where  the  school 
has  been  recognized,  it  is  still  regarded  as  a  children's 
affair.  The  tremendous  national  interest  in  religious  edu- 
cation, the  organized-adult-class  movement,  and  the  new 
interpretation  of  the  Sunday  school's  value  and  mission 
have  awakened  a  remarkable  interest  in  the  Sunday  school 
on  the  part  of  the  church.  And  with  good  reason.  What 
are  the  facts?  The  dividends  from  the  Sunday  schools  in- 
clude 95  per  cent  of  the  preachers,  85  per  cent  of  the  church 
converts,  95  per  cent  of  the  church  workers,  and  75  per  cent 
of  the  churches  organized.  And  this  in  the  face  of  the  fact 
that  pastors  and  parents  are  not  giving  more  than  10  per 
cent  of  their  time  to  the  Sunday  school,  and  the  church 


THE  INSTITUTION  19 

not  more  than  10  per  cent  of  its  income,  and  that  the  theo- 
logical seminaries  have  until  recently  put  but  trifling  em- 
phasis upon  Sunday-school  training  of  pastors.  In  other 
words  about  90  per  cent  of  return  has  come  from  10  per 
cent  of  investment. 

The  Sunday  school,  of  all  religious  agencies,  includes  the 
largest  number  of  persons  at  a  time  of  life  easiest  to  reach, 
and  when  life,  if  consecrated,  will  tell  the  most  and  longest 
for  God  and  the  race.  It  has  the  largest  number  of  trained 
workers.  President  Mullen  has  said,  "The  whole  trend  of 
my  observation,  study,  and  experience  has  shown  me  that 
in  most  cases  the  Sunday  school  is  the  most  fundamental 
thing  in  church  work."  The  startling  fact  is  that  the  ad- 
ditions to  the  church  membership,  aside  from  the  Sunday 
school  and  the  direct  influence  of  the  Sunday  school  upon 
the  homes,  probably  do  not  exceed  10  per  cent  of  the  total. 
And  this  despite  expensive  and  strenuous  revival  efforts. 
If  the  church  were  wise  and  invested  its  energy  and  money 
in  holding  in  the  Sunday  school  and  bringing  to  Christ  its 
young  people  from  twelve  to  twenty,  its  problems  would  be 
largely  solved.  For  God  speaks  most  certainly  to  the  life 
during  these  strategic  years,  and  young  people  can  then  be 
easily  molded  as  workers.  It  is  church  folly  akin  to  crime 
to  permit  these  young  people  to  slip  from  under  the  direct 
influence  and  training  of  the  church  by  failing  to  use  the 
Sunday-school  opportunity  of  holding  and  reaching  them. 

What  should  be  the  relation  of  the  church  to  the  Sunday 
school?  It  should  regard  the  Sunday  school  as  an  essential 
part  of  itself  and  provide  generously  for  its  equipment  and 
support.  It  should  supervise  its  organization  and  charac- 
ter of  work,  through  its  own  committee  on  religious  edu- 
cation. In  church  construction  first  thought  should  be 
given  to  the  proper  housing  of  the  Sunday  school,  with 
provision  for  departmental  division  and  instruction  and 
for  recreation. 

Theological  seminaries  should  plan  that  candidates  for 
the  ministry  should  have  an  adequate  course  in  religious 


20  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

pedagogy  and  church-school  management,  including  labora- 
tory work  in  practice  Sunday  schools. 

The  pastor  and  the  church  officials  should  be  found  in 
the  Sunday  school  as  workers  or  members. 

Provision  should  be  made  by  the  church  for  the  week-day 
life  of  the  young  people  to  link  their  interest  and  preempt 
their  whole  life  for  Christ  and  the  church.  "Every  member 
of  the  church  a  member  of  some  department  of  the  Sunday 
school"  should  be  the  objective  of  the  church.  The  church 
may  well  provide  for  a  paid  superintendency  where  the 
conditions  favor  the  investment  of  the  superintendent's 
entire  time.  It  should  give  an  adequate  opportunity  to 
every  pupil  to  enter  the  Christian  life.  The  church  should 
provide  for  the  spiritual  culture  of  the  young  in  Christian 
life  and  service.  It  should  plan  for  a  leadership-training 
class  in  which  young  people  shall  be  trained  through  special 
courses  as  church  and  Sunday-school  oflficers,  and  as  lead- 
ers in  missions,  social  service,  recreation,  and  evangelism. 
It  should  educate  its  young  people  in  the  spirit  of  giving. 

It  is  not  fair  to  the  Sunday  school  to  tack  its  session  of 
one  hour  or  less  to  the  end  of  the  church  session  and  expect 
it  to  make  its  needed  religious  and  educational  impress 
upon  its  members.  Time  is  needed  for  this  important  work, 
and  the  day  may  not  be  far  distant  when  the  church  will 
surrender  one  of  its  preaching  services,  making  it  the  Bible- 
teaching  service  of  the  entire  church.  This  would  magnify 
the  Sunday-school  work,  give  the  pastor  opportunity  for 
definite  service  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  not  oblige  the 
faithful  Sunday-school  worker  to  attend  three  services  on 
a  Sabbath.  It  would  solve  the  question,  too,  of  adequate 
time;  and  while  we  may  not  be  ready  in  a  voluntary  work 
for  a  three-hour  Sunday-school  session,  as  contended  for 
by  a  contributor  to  the  Educational  Review,  yet  a  longer 
session  than  the  present  average  is  obligatory  for  best  work. 
Many  schools  are  placing  their  sessions  on  Sunday  after- 
noon as  a  solution  of  the  time  problem  and  to  provide 
against  the  temptation  to  waste  the  afternoon  of  the  Sab- 


THE  INSTITUTION  21 

bath  in  doubtful  ways.  The  week-day  religious  school  as 
supplemental  to  the  Sunday  session  is  discussed  later  and 
is  the  answer,  in  good  measure,  to  the  question  of  sufficient 
time  for  the  educational  program  of  the  church.  It  is  al- 
together probable  that  the  fully  developed  Sunday  school 
of  the  future  will  be  an  all-inclusive  institution,  the  center 
of  the  church's  Bible  study  and  of  all  its  social  and  other 
activities. 

6.  Sunday  school  and  community.  The  Sunday  school 
is  the  only  institution  supplying  systematic  religious  edu- 
cation both  to  young  and  old.  Its  duty  is  therefore  to 
reach  the  entire  community  with  its  invitation  and  message. 
This  it  should  do  through  advertisement,  systematic  visita- 
tion, circularizing,  and  personal  invitation,  by  meetings  of 
parents,  by  providing  for  the  social  life  of  the  community, 
and  by  organizing  for  benevolent  work.  "The  Bible  by  the 
hands  of  the  living  teacher  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
in  the  State"  is  the  motto  of  one  State  organization.  This 
purpose  crystallizes  what  should  be  the  plan  in  every  com- 
munity. The  Sunday  school  saves  the  community  by  pro- 
moting right  moral  standards,  by  saving  the  young  from 
becoming  criminals,  and  by  supplying  the  highest  motives 
for  wholesome  community  interest.  Practical  methods  of 
community  work  will  follow  in  Chapter  XX. 

7.  Sunday  school  and  home.  The  failure,  in  large  part, 
of  the  home  religiously  to  train  the  young  is  responsible  for 
the  evolution  of  the  Sunday  school.  The  Sunday  school 
should  not  be  a  substitute  for  the  home  in  matters  of  re- 
ligious instruction,  but  supplementary  to  it,  as  in  the  train- 
ing of  Jewish  children.  Gradually,  through  the  Home  De- 
partment and  the  attendance  of  adults  upon  the  Sunday 
school  and  church,  a  new  religious  vitality  will  come  into 
the  home  life.  The  Sunday  school  will  still  have  its  place 
as  the  social  center  for  the  young  and  as  a  place  for  broader 
study  of  the  Book  in  its  relation  to  Christian  training  for 
service,  the  home  and  school  acting  and  reacting  upon  each 
other  in  the  promotion  of  the  rounded  character.     This  is 


22  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

the  ideal.  The  home  must  be  educated  to  its  rightful  task, 
and  through  the  child  we  have  an  open-sesame  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  work.  Plans  of  cooperation  between 
school  and  home  are  suggested  in  Chapter  XVI. 

8.  Sunday  school  and  public  school.  "Education  is 
not  the  training  of  an  intelligence  but  the  development  and 
inspiration  of  a  soul."  J.  P.  Monroe  says,  "The  question 
to  be  asked  at  the  end  of  an  educational  step  is  not  'What 
has  the  child  learned?'  but  'What  has  the  child  become?'" 
Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  of  Columbia  University,  has 
said,  "Education  is  a  gradual  adjustment  to  the  spiritual 
possessions  of  the  race,"  and  in  the  further  discussion  he 
states  that  the  religious  inheritance  is  one  to  which  every 
child  is  entitled. 

Theoretically  the  public  school  aims  to  produce  a  rounded 
life  equipped  for  service  to  the  community  and  the  state. 
But  by  the  elimination  of  the  Bible  from  the  public  school 
the  dynamic  in  character  making  is  gone,  and  the  com- 
pletion of  the  educational  process  is  thrown  back  upon  the 
character  of  the  teacher.  And  where  there  is  no  religious 
test  applied  in  the  selection  of  teachers,  the  results  to  the 
pupil  are  necessarily  unsatisfactory  in  the  production  of 
character.  "The  teacher's  life  is  the  life  of  his  teaching." 
America  is  committed,  apparently  irrevocably,  for  weal  or 
woe,  to  exclusively  secular  education  in  the  public  schools. 
Professor  Brumbaugh  says,  "Any  country  that  fails  to  give 
the  training  religiously  that  it  does  mentally  is  on  the  way 
to  ruin."  As  religious  instruction  is  essential  to  the  life 
of  any  nation,  we  are  forced  to  the  use  of  the  Sunday  school 
as  the  recognized  channel  of  religious  instruction  or  to 
denominational  week-day  schools,  which  are  not  likely  to 
obtain  favor  in  competition  with  the  public-school  system. 
In  view  of  the  fact,  therefore,  that  the  Sunday  school 
and  the  public  school  are  twin  factors  in  the  needed  educa- 
tion of  the  child,  the  relation  between  the  two  should  be 
sympathetic  and  cooperative.  Each  has  something  to  learn 
of    the    other.      In   increasing    numbers    Christian    public- 


THE  INSTITUTION  23 

school  teachers  and  educators  are  in  the  Sunday  school,  as- 
sisting in  the  development  of  its  curriculum  and  in  its 
work. 

In  a  fair  comparison  of  the  work  of  the  public  school  and 
Sunday  school,  taking  into  account  the  weight  of  public 
authority  behind  the  public  school  and  its  paid  teaching 
force,  tests  of  work  in  each,  the  country  over,  will  show  that 
the  Sunday  school  is  doing  proportionally  efficient  work. 

9.  Sunday  school  and  national  life.  The  morale  of 
the  forces  in  the  Great  War  was  kept  at  a  high  mark  largely 
through  the  Christian  character  of  so  large  a  proportion 
of  the  number  serving  and  the  contacts  afforded  through 
the  local  Sunday  school  and  church  in  the  homeland.  The 
nearly  200,000  Sunday  schools  in  America  were  centers  of 
Red  Cross  and  other  war  activities. 

Senator  Sherman  of  Illinois  says,  "No  good  government 
can  be  had,  and  especially  popular  government,  unless  the 
people  shall  live  under  the  wholesome  influence  of  spiritual 
forces."  President  Harding  said:  "The  future  of  the  na- 
tion cannot  be  trusted  to  the  children  unless  their  educa- 
tion includes  their  spiritual  development.  It  is  time,  there- 
fore, that  we  give  our  attention  to  the  religious  instruction 
of  the  children  of  America,  not  in  the  spirit  of  intolerance, 
nor  to  emphasize  distinctions  or  controversies  between 
creeds  or  beliefs,  but  to  extend  religious  teaching  to  all 
in  such  form  that  conscience  is  developed,  and  duty  to  one's 
neighbor  and  to  God  is  understood  and  fulfilled." 

Other  national  leaders  emphasize  this  same  need  and  the 
Sunday  school  as  essential  to  the  national  life.  "1  chal- 
lenge the  gentlemen  present  to  name  any  institution  that 
means  so  much  for  the  safety  and  prosperity  of  our  coun- 
try as  does  the  Sunday  school"  (John  W.  Foster).  "The 
Sunday  school  is  one  of  the  greatest  institutions  of  to-day. 
As  a  school  of  religious  instruction  it  is  inestimable;  as  a 
civil  institution  it  is  priceless."  (Daniel  Webster.)  "Our 
navy  cannot  save  this  country,  our  army  cannot  save  this 
country,  our  public  schools  cannot  save  this  country;   but 


24  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Sunday  schools  can  do  it,  sown  thick  as  schoolhouses 
throughout  the  land"  (General  Rutherford).  "Education  in 
things  spiritual  and  moral  is  most  necessary  to  the  making 
of  the  highest  type  of  citizenship"  (Theodore  Roosevelt). 
"We  shall  maintain  our  liberties  only  by  the  religious  edu- 
cation of  our  youth"  (George  Washington).  "America  has 
been  practically  saved  to  Protestant  Christianity  by  the 
Sunday  school"    (Trumbull). 

To  the  influences  generated  by  the  Sunday  school  we 
are  indebted  for  many  of  our  strong  national  leaders — men 
whose  names  are  household  words.  The  prohibition  victory 
in  our  land  had  its  origin  in  the  seed  planted  in  the  thou- 
sands of  Sunday  schools  a  generation  ago.  The  children 
and  grandchildren  of  immigrants  obtain  new  ideals  of 
personal  and  home  life  through  their  absorption  of  Sunday- 
school  teaching.  The  Sunday  school  is  the  strongest  bul- 
wark of  our  American  Sabbath. 

Justice  Brewer  said:  "This  American  nation,  from  its 
first  settlement  at  Jamestown  to  the  present  hour,  is 
based  upon  and  permeated  by  the  principles  of  the  Bible. 
The  one  who  is  engaged  in  bringing  this  Bible  to  the  people 
is  a  patriot.  If  it  were  possible  for  any  organization  or 
number  of  organizations  so  to  take  this  Bible  and  send  it 
through  the  land  that  its  teachings  and  precepts  could  be 
brought  home  to  the  people,  the  results  would  be  grander 
than  all  the  victories  won  in  all  the  wars  since  the  begin- 
ning of  time."  The  Sunday  school  lays  a  moral  and  re- 
ligious foundation  under  the  home,  and  the  home  is  the 
unit  of  a  perfect  national  civilization. 

10.  Relation  to  missions  and  international  aiFairs. 
"It  is  the  whole  business  of  the  whole  church  to  bring  the 
gospel  to  the  whole  world  as  soon  as  possible,"  said  Trum- 
bull; and,  again,  the  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school  is 
"character  training  for  service  in  the  extension  of  the  King- 
dom." 

The  missionary  givers  and  the  givers  of  to-morrow  are  in 
the   Sunday   school   of  to-day.     It   is   the   Sunday   school's 


THE  INSTITUTION  25 

privilege  to  direct  and  cultivate  the  missionary  passion 
through  program,  pageantry,  music,  information,  mission- 
ary library,  and  direct  appeal. 

It  is  significant  of  God's  purpose  that  at  the  very  time 
when  missionary  education  in  the  American  Sunday  schools 
is  being  so  earnestly  promoted,  the  whole  world  is  opening 
to  missionary  opportunity.  This  is  due  to  the  reaction  to 
spiritual  values  from  materialism  and  the  bloodshed  of  the 
war;  the  separation  of  church  and  state  in  such  fields  as 
South  America  and  Europe;  the  conviction  in  such  highly 
educated  countries  as  Japan  that  education  does  not  of 
itself  produce  character;  the  breakdown  of  the  old  re- 
ligions under  the  test  of  education  and  science. 

The  World's  Sunday  School  Convention  in  Tokyo  in 
October,  1920,  gave  a  great  impulse  to  the  conviction  of 
both  national  and  missionary  leaders  that  the  Sunday 
school  was  essential  to  the  future  life  of  the  church  and 
state  in  the  foreign  field.  The  high  valuation  placed  by 
Christ  and  his  church  upon  the  child  was  emphasized  at 
that  convention  in  pageantry,  exhibit,  and  address.  It  was 
clearly  seen  that  the  strategy  in  world  winning  and  recon- 
struction was  along  the  pathway  of  the  child  and  the  Sun- 
day school. 

It  is  increasingly  recognized  that  the  Sunday  school  is 
a  vital  factor  in  international  relations  because  of  its  inter- 
denominational, international,  and  interracial  character. 
The  task  for  Sunday-school  leaders  in  all  countries  is  to 
promote  the  world  mind  and  the  sense  of  close  inter- 
relationship and  interdependence.  Leaders  in  both  America 
and  England  are  seeing  that  the  Sunday  school,  highly  de- 
veloped and  organized,  will  be  a  most  potent  factor  in  driv- 
ing back  the  tide  of  bolshevism,  which  since  the  war  has 
threatened  Christianity  and  the  stability  of  democratic  in- 
stitutions. W.  T.  Ellis,  the  publicist,  says,  "The  Sunday 
school  should  substitute  Christian  democracy  for  the  non- 
Christian  hatred  which  is  sweeping  over  the  face  of  the 
earth." 


26  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Benjamin  Kidd,  whose  book  The  Science  of  Power  has 
had  such  wide  reading,  says  in  the  closing  paragraphs  of 
the  last  chapter:  "0  you  blind  leaders  who  seek  to  convert 
the  world  by  labored  disputation!  Step  out  of  the  way,  or 
the  world  must  fling  you  aside.  Give  us  the  young,  give  us 
the  young,  and  we  will  create  a  new  mind  and  a  new  earth 
in  a  single  generation." 

Bibliography 

Sunday  School  Movement  in  America,  M.  C.  Brown. 
Outline  History  of  Religious  Education,  Meyer. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  advisability  of  substituting  the  Sunday-school 
service  for  one  of  the  preaching  services. 

2.  The  Sunday  school  as  an  all-inclusive  institution  for 
Christian  training  and  activity. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  are  the  aim  and  the  purpose  of  the  Sunday 
school? 

2.  Name  the  principal  historical  steps  leading  up  to  the 
Raikes  movement. 

3.  When  was  the  Raikes  school  founded?  Give  a  few 
facts  concerning  that  movement. 

4.  What  is  the  origin  and  work  of  the  International  Sun- 
day School  Association? 

5.  What  has  the  Sunday  school  done  for  the  church? 

6.  What  should  the  church  do  for  the  Sunday  school? 

7.  How  can  the  Sunday  school  help  the  community? 

8.  What  part  has  the  home  and  what  the  Sunday  school 
in  religious  education? 

9.  How  can  the  Sunday  school  contribute  to  the  national 
life? 

10.  How  can  the  Sunday  school  and  public  school  co- 
operate in  attaining  the  real  end  of  education? 

11.  What  is  its  opportunity  as  an  international  factor? 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

1.  On  the  threshold  of  his  task.  He  has  been  elected 
superintendent;  it  may  be,  thrust  into  olRce  to  fill  a  gap, 
persuaded  by  the  pastor  or  the  nominating  committee,  with- 
out training  or  special  preparation.  If  this  is  his  position, 
it  is  the  experience  of  thousands  of  his  brethren.  It  may 
be  that  this  push  is  the  divine  call  to  him. 

He  has  probably  been  selected  because  he  has  done 
things;  because  of  some  grace  of  mind,  or  heart,  or  soul; 
because  something  of  executive  strength  or  professional 
or  business  or  church  success  marks  him  out  from  his 
fellows. 

Surely  the  superintendent  must  needs  feel  that,  as  truly 
as  prophet  or  pastor,  he  is  divinely  called  to  his  work. 
From  whatever  source  that  call  comes,  he  must  know  an 
inner  response  that  recognizes  the  Shepherd's  voice  and 
moves  out  after  the  lambs  and  sheep  of  the  fold  and  those 
not  of  the  fold. 

His  sense  of  a  divine  call  will  make  him  a  man  of  prayer. 
He  must  pray  for  guidance  and  wisdom  on  the  threshold 
of  a  task  in  which,  by  his  personality,  example,  word,  and 
work,  he  may  become  a  powerful  molding  force  in  the  lives 
of  young  people,  when  life  is  in  the  making.  And  the  power 
of  his  life  will  consist  in  the  clearness  of  the  prayer  atmos- 
phere. 

He  will  measure  himself  and  his  task.  Perhaps  he  has 
overestimated  himself  because  he  has  not  rightly  compre- 
hended his  task.  He  may  have  taken  the  false  measure- 
ments of  the  anxious  nominators  that  "it  would  only  take 
an  hour  on  Sunday."  But  when  he  gets  squarely  in  the 
saddle  and  surveys  the  field — the  throbbing  life,  its  far 
reach,  the  necessity  of  organizing  and  directing  the  school 

27 


28  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

and  community,  Sunday  and  week-day,  for  a  pure  home 
life,  high  citizenship,  and  a  part  in  world  conquest 
through  the  mighty  weapon  of  the  Word — he  will  either  re- 
linquish his  task  or  will  steadily  grow  to  his  vision,  dis- 
covering capacities,  overcoming  difficulties,  determining 
to  make  his  work  the  best  as  to  quality  and  the  largest 
possible  as  to  quantity.  His  work  involves  devising  and 
carrying  forward  satisfactory  plans  as  to  instruction,  the 
training  of  teachers,  the  attachment  of  the  pupil  and  the 
home  to  Christ  and  the  church,  the  spiritual  nurture  of 
growing  lives,  provision  for  the  week-day  life  of  the  pupil, 
and  the  ingathering  of  those  without.  This  perspective  of 
his  work  will  give  direction  and  point  to  his  efforts.  It  will 
drive  him  to  prayer.    It  will  ally  hini  with  Christ. 

The  superintendent  who  has  caught  a  vision  of  his  task 
has  a  great  chance  to  make  his  personality  and  plans  count 
for  large  things.  There  is  no  other  possible  investment  of 
his  life  where  the  results  are  so  impressive,  and  where 
the  present  and  future  satisfaction  is  so  great.  "Where 
anything  is  growing,  one  former  is  worth  a  thousand  re- 
formers." He  who  stands  at  the  threshold  of  young  life 
to  put  upon  it  the  touch  that  will  mold  for  all  the  years 
stands  in  a  place  of  power.  But  he  who  would  make  this 
investment  must  first  have  a  Christlike  personality,  what- 
ever his  native  gifts.  For  this  he  will  strive  and  pray. 
This,  after  all,  is  the  primary  essential.  Peculiarly  is  this 
true  of  the  Sunday  school,  in  which  success  depends  so 
largely  on  spirit  communicated  from  superintendent  to 
teacher,  pupil,  home,  and  community. 

2.  His  training.  With  the  increasing  importance  of 
the  Sunday  school  to  the  church  and  community  there  is  a 
growing  demand,  especially  from  the  larger  churches  in  the 
cities,  for  paid  superintendents  and  directors  of  religious 
education,  who  can  give  their  entire  time  to  the  organiza- 
tion and  direction  of  the  school  in  its  Sunday  and  week-day 
activities.  And  where  a  church  has  sufficient  resources  this 
is  highly  desirable;  for  a  live  superintendent  can  make  his 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  29 

worth  felt  in  building  up  church  membership  and  finances 
and  in  increasing  the  impact  of  the  church  upon  the  homes 
of  the  community.  Besides  theological  seminaries  that  are 
giving  courses  for  the  specific  preparation  of  such  workers 
there  are  schools  that  give  laymen  the  opportunity  for  a 
practical  training  for  the  work  of  the  superintendency.  We 
are  asking  for  trained  teachers:  why  not  trained  superin- 
tendents? We  require  that  engineers  who  drive  the  cargoes 
of  human  freight  shall  be  trained  and  licensed:  why  not 
those  who  so  largely  direct  eternal  destinies? 

The  work  is  increasingly  complex,  and  more  and  more 
superintendents  who  are  experts  will  be  demanded.  True. 
it  is  not  possible,  owing  to  the  limitations  of  family  and 
business,  for  many  of  the  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
superintendents  who  preside  over  the  Sunday  schools  of 
our  country  to  take  special  courses  away  from  home.  But 
every  man  can  build  up  a  little  library  of  best  books  about 
him  which  will  broaden  his  horizon.  He  can  subscribe  to 
a  few  superintendents'  helps,  he  can  attend  conventions  or 
local  institutes  to  get  inspiration  and  ideas,  he  can  visit 
other  schools  to  absorb  new  plans,  he  can  grow  bigger  with 
every  year.  Courses  for  the  training  of  Sunday-school  ex- 
ecutives have  been  prepared,  and  information  as  to  these 
courses  can  be  obtained  upon  application  to  the  Sunday- 
school  board  of  your  denomination  or  to  the  oflBce  of  the 
State  or  provincial  Sunday-school  association. 

When,  thirty-five  years  ago,  the  writer  was  thrust  out 
from  the  teaching  of  a  class  in  a  city  Sunday  school,  where 
there  were  no  special  ideals  of  Sunday-school  work,  to  or- 
ganize a  mission  in  a  new  district  and  to  take  its  superin- 
tendency, there  were  two  books  that  started  him  thinking 
and  planning.  These  were  The  Modern  Sunday  School,  by 
John  H.  Vincent,  and  The  Model  Superintendent,  which  is 
the  life  story  of  Henry  P.  Havens.  Every  superintendent 
must  at  least  know  his  workshop  and  something  of  the 
history,  purpose,  opportunity,  and  destiny  of  the  Sunday 
school. 


30  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

3.  His  relation  to  the  cliureli.  In  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  the  superintendent  is  nominated  annually  by 
the  local  Sunday-school  board  and  confirmed  by  the  quar- 
terly conference  at  its  first  session  after  the  nomination. 
The  pastor  is  ex  officio  chairman  of  the  local  Sunday-school 
board.  He  may  prefer  that  the  superintendent  preside — 
and  I  find  that  most  superintendents  desire  to  preside.  In 
either  case  there  should  be  the  fullest  consultation  between 
them  as  to  matters  to  be  proposed  before  the  board  for 
conference  or  action. 

In  progressive  denominations  the  present  plan  is  to  ap- 
point a  church  committee  of  religious  education,  of  which 
the  superintendent  should  be  a  member,  to  develop  a  com- 
prehensive plan  of  religious  education,  including  all  the 
church  organizations.  This  committee  should  have  mem- 
bership in  the  Sunday-school  board  and  should  supervise 
the  curriculum,  training  work,  and  expresslonal  activities 
of  the  school. 

As  the  representative  of  the  church  the  superintendent 
is  entitled  to  the  cooperation  and  presence  in  the  school  of 
the  official  board.  It  has  placed  him  in  office  through  its 
confirmatory  vote,  and  its  members  can  bind  the  church  and 
school  in  a  vital  way  through  their  attendance.  Few  in- 
stances of  school  failure  can  be  adduced  where  the  mem- 
bers of  the  official  board  are  all  related  to  some  part  of 
the  Sunday  school. 

The  church  should  dignify  the  office  by  publicly  installing 
the  superintendent.  Such  a  service  will  give  him  wings  for 
his  work. 

The  superintendent's  report  to  the  official  board  or  church 
quarterly  meeting  is  an  opportunity  to  tie  the  church  to 
the  Sunday-school  program.  He  should  be  free  to  nominate, 
in  consultation  with  the  pastor,  his  department  superin- 
tendents, committees,  and  teachers,  subject  to  confirmation 
by  the  Sunday-school  board.  If  he  is  chargeable  with  re- 
sponsibility for  results,  he  must  be  given  a  large  voice  in 
the  selection  of  those  upon  whom  he  must  rely  for  the  pro- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  31 

duction  of  those  results.  The  superintendent's  relation  to 
the  pastor,  pupil,  teacher,  home,  and  community  is  to  be 
dealt  with  more  fully  in  subsequent  chapters. 

4.  His  equipment.  The  superintendent  should  be  su- 
premely a  man  of  heart,  a  lover  of  children,  a  friend  of 
everybody.  He  is  a  helper  and  guide  and  servant  of  all, 
not  a  boss.  "I  am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that  serveth." 
He  prays  daily  for  himself,  his  own  home,  the  teachers,  the 
pupils,  the  community,  and  the  world,  and  as  individually 
as  possible.  It  is  assumed  that  he  is  a  Christian,  not  neces- 
sarily a  perfect  Christian.  Few  of  us  would  care  to  lay 
claim  to  that.  But  he  is  a  man  with  love  for  Christ  and 
his  fellows,  who  will  grow  bigger  and  better  as  he  gets  his 
shoulder  under  the  load  and  puts  his  heart  into  his  work. 
He  should  love  his  Bible.  While  it  would  be  of  great  value 
if  he  were  a  Bible  student,  he  may  be  highly  successful 
through  securing  a  better  trained  man  or  woman  for  the 
educatioiial  work  and  devote  his  own  energies  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  organization  and  the  spirit  of  the  in- 
stitution. 

He  remembers  that  his  Master  was  misunderstood,  and 
that  the  world  did  not  grow  up  to  his  ideals  until  after  he 
had  gone.  And  this  gives  him  patience.  He  is  a  man  of 
principle,  not  of  expediency,  and  keeps  his  school  running 
on  this  ideal.  He  is  a  Sunday-school  optimist  and  enthusi- 
ast, and  so  things  go,  glow,  and  grow.  "Enthusiasm  is  hope 
in  action."  He  is  not  necessarily  a  good  talker  or  a  man  of 
large  teaching  ability  but  has  some  executive  ability  and 
common  sense,  is  cheery  and  courteous,  reverent,  tactful, 
prompt,  persevering,  and  wins  the  cooperation  of  others. 
He  is  a  man  of  system,  of  neatness  in  his  work  and  in  his 
personal  appearance,  and  his  school  unconsciously  takes  its 
cue  from  him. 

He  seeks  to  be  what  he  desires  his  pupils  and  teachers 
to  be. 

What  we  are  daily  sowing  in  self-discipline  we  shall  reap 
in  the  failure  or  success  of  our  work.    What  is  in  use  will 


32  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

out,  in  spite  of  tricks  and  masks.  Genuine  souls  tell,  and 
no  hypocrisy  can  mock  or  circumvent  them.  If  we  mean  to 
train  disciples  of  Christ,  we  must  march  the  whole  road 
ourselves.  If  we  would  mold  living  sculpture,  we  must 
first  fashion  our  implements  out  of  purity  and  simplicity, 
love  and  trust.  We  are  watched,  we  are  studied,  we  are 
searched  through  and  through,  by  those  we  undertake  to 
lead.     (Bishop  Huntington.) 

If  not  a  born  superintendent  he  can  be  "born  again"  if  he 
will  insist  upon  it  and  will  put  faith  in  himself,  in  others, 
and  in  his  task.  "If  you  insist  on  being  a  worm,  be  a  glow- 
worm and  let  your  light  shine."  He  is  a  believer  in  the 
"go  ye"  of  Christ  and  therefore  loves  missions.  He  is  an 
attendant  at  the  church  prayer  meeting  and  encourages  his 
teachers  and  pupils  to  go.  He  loves  souls  and  hard  work. 
Nothing  can  possibly  take  the  place  of  these.  Although 
a  man  of  vision,  his  feet  are  on  the  earth.  He  sticks  to  his 
job  in  all  weather.  "Nowhere  in  the  Bible  are  found  the 
words  *Be  successful.'  The  Book  only  bids  us  'Be  faithful.'  " 
(Lawrance.)  He  is  constructed  on  the  short-meter  plan  in 
prayer,  notices,  and  review.  He  is  snappy  in  the  best  sense, 
quick  in  emergencies,  firm  but  kind.  If  a  new  superinten- 
dent he  will  have  patience  the  first  year,  as  others  will  need 
to  have  patience  with  him.  Beyond  the  first  year  of 
adjustment  lie  the  years  of  confidence,  better  understand- 
ing, and  growth.  He  is  a  believer  in  his  denomination 
and  loyal  to  it;  but  gets  a  high  enough  vision  of  the  re- 
lation of  his  denomination  to  the  Kingdom  to  reduce  fences 
to  lines  on  the  map. 

Dr.  Joseph  Clark  has  put  some  of  the  superintendent's 
qualities  pithily  as  follows: 

Wanted:  A  high  type,  manly  Christian  man,  one  whom 
children  love,  girls  admire,  boys  worship,  women  honor, 
young  men  revere,  and  men  respect;  a  man  of  religion  with- 
out cant,  of  piety  without  softness,  of  righteousness  without 
hypocrisy;  a  man  of  pure  thought,  clean  life,  and  unstained 
hands;  a  broad  man  with  Kingdom  vision,  who  keeps  step 
with  world-wide  religious  activities;   a  man  to  whom  his 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  33 

high  calling  is  an  avocation,  not  a  task;  who  creates  an  epi- 
demic of  sociability  and  good  cheer  wherever  he  goes;  a 
man  who  is  on  the  still  hunt  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
days  of  each  year  for  the  best  things  for  his  school;  one 
who  is  ever  quietly  busy  at  soul  saving  and  soul  culturing; 
a  man  who  would  rather  superintend  a  Sunday  school  than 
do  anything  else  on  earth;  a  man  who  prays  to  be  re- 
tained in  office  while  efficient  and  to  be  retired  when  no 
longer  at  his  best;  a  man  who  will  not  make  his  retirement 
from  the  superintendency  the  springboard  for  a  leap  into 
the  oblivion  of  religious  inactivity;  a  man  who  after  re- 
tirement takes  his  place  in  some  subordinate  position  in 
the  vineyard  and  sweetly  exerts  an  influence  of  helpfulness 
toward  his  successor;  a  man  for  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent— not  an  angel  but  a  man  of  whom  his  fellows  will 
say,  "Rabbi,  thou  art  a  leader  sent  from  God." 

5.  The  things  he  avoids.  Our  superintendent  does  not 
despair  when  some  pet  plan  is  vetoed  but  waits  for  folks 
to  grow  up  to  the  plan,  if  a  good  one,  and  starts  a  system  of 
personal  education  of  others  to  its  approval.  He  does  not 
take  responsibility  if  in  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  a  course 
but  shares  by  consultation  with  other  officers  or  with  the 
Sunday-school  board.  While  he  chases  his  ideal  he  does 
not  in  doing  so  lose  touch  with  his  constituency;  does  not 
lose  his  temper  on  the  platform,  because  he  knows  he  will 
lose  his  influence  with  it.  Scolding  and  scalding  are  near 
relatives.  He  does  not  think  he  knows  it  all — unless  he  has 
just  started  in  the  superintendency.  He  will  be  harvesting 
Sunday-school  information  all  his  life.  He  does  not  work 
by  the  clock  but  by  the  beat  of  his  heart.  He  never  does 
anything  himself  that  he  can  get  another  to  do  nearly  as 
well.  He  does  not  give  the  notices  out  twice  in  exactly  the 
same  way  but  cultivates  variety  and  surprise.  He  does  not 
kill  off  the  attendance  of  the  older  boys  and  girls  by  ad- 
dressing the  school  as  "dear  children."  He  does  not  sur- 
render to  a  chance  visitor  the  precious  closing  moments  of 
the  school.  In  matters  of  doubtful  habits  or  practices  he 
asks,  "What  would  Jesus  do?"  He  does  not  ride  hobbies, 
whether  music,  teacher  training,  or  special  days,  but  seeks 


34  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

to  develop  the  school  symmetrically.  Having  signed  his  en- 
listment papers,  he  does  not  resign  whenever  his  corns  are 
stepped  on.  Said  a  prominent  Sunday-school  worker,  "I 
have  no  feelings  in  Sunday-school  work;  I  have  a  rhinoceros 
hide."  Our  superintendent  does  not  expect  ever  to  be  satis- 
fied with  attainment.  If  you  have  ideals,  your  horizon  will 
keep  lifting.  "Never  discouraged  and  never  satisfied."  Our 
superintendent  does  not  keep  in  a  rut  until  it  becomes  a 
grave.  He  does  not  scold  others  for  going  to  sleep  under  his 
leadership  but  wakes  himself  up  first.  He  does  not  get  mad 
at  honest  criticism  but  grows  under  it.  He  learns  something 
even  from  kickers.  He  does  not  usually  teach  a  class.  He 
can  do  more  through  observation  and  cooperation  than 
through  lesson  teaching.  He  does  not  do  it  all,  but,  hav- 
ing committed  the  work  to  others,  lets  them  finish  the  job 
and  makes  the  most  of  their  work.  He  does  not  allow  teach- 
ers to  be  interrupted  by  anybody  when  launched  upon  the 
lessons. 

6.  The  superintendent  in  action.  Our  superintendent 
has  a  notebook  in  which  he  registers  new  plans  and  sug- 
gestions; suggestions  for  special  days;  keeps  a  record  of 
school  attendance,  teachers*  names  and  addresses,  and  a  list 
of  prospective  workers.  While  the  lesson  is  being  taught, 
he  uses  his  feet  and  eyes,  notes  weak  points,  and  makes  lib- 
eral notes  for  later  use.  He  refers  cases  of  sick  and  stray- 
ing to  proper  committees.  He  advertises  regularly  school 
news,  special  days,  and  coming  events  through  the  school 
paper,  the  local  press,  and  special  printed  matter.  He  has 
a  night  memorandum  pad  and  pencil  for  some  plan  or 
thought  that  may  come  in  wakeful  hours.  He  gets  another 
to  absorb  and  propose  his  plan  in  the  Sunday-school  board 
rather  than  spring  it  himself.  He  knows  that  the  best 
reducer  of  the  ice  of  difficulty  is  a  sunshiny  smile.  He 
knows  the  magnetic  power  of  a  handshake.  He  keeps  ever- 
lastingly at  it  in  summer  and  winter.  He  adopts  some 
plans,  adapts  others.  He  views  things  from  the  standpoint 
of   teachers   and  pupils.      He   gives   his   assistant   superin- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  35 

tendents  a  chance  at  the  platform  for  the  sake  of  variety 
and  training.  He  is  open  and  keeps  open  for  suggestion 
and  criticism.  He  frequently  meets  his  teachers  in  prayer 
before  or  after  the  school.  He  makes  use  on  occasions  of 
special  teachers'  and  pupils'  prayer  gatherings.  He  makes 
of  his  Sunday-school  work  not  an  incident  but  a  business. 
He  knows,  if  it  is  worth  doing  at  all,  it  is  tremendously 
worth  doing.  He  knows  why  his  pupils  leave  the  school. 
He  anticipates  trouble  in  the  sense  of  preventing  it.  He 
keeps  in  view  that  he  is  training  citizens  for  this  world 
as  well  as  for  the  world  to  come.  He  will  give  his  pupils 
a  world  vision  of  the  reach  and  opportunities  of  the  Sunday 
school.  He  is  on  the  lookout  for  pupils  who  may  be  de- 
veloped as  workers  for  the  local  task  and  the  broader  field. 
He  watches  newcomers  in  the  church  for  new  teachers  and 
new  Sunday-school  members.  He  builds  up  a  substitute  list. 
While  chary  of  making  promises  he  sees  that  every 
promise  when  made  is  faithfully  kept.  He  makes  the  Chris- 
tian life  appear  wholesome  to  present-day  boys  and  girls, 
as  the  supreme  thing  in  character  making  and  life  success, 
and  not  a  soft,  effeminate  something  that  wilts  manhood 
and  womanhood  and  shies  off  every  full-blooded  boy  and 
girl.  He  avoids  "holy  tones."  He  expects  order  and  re- 
sults. He  creates  atmosphere.  He  takes  time  to  prepare. 
He  has  his  program  completed  to  the  last  dot  before  leav- 
ing home.  He  comes  from  his  knees  to  the  school.  This 
preparation  gives  him  confidence  and  power.  He  begins  on 
time  if  he  has  to  talk  and  sing  to  himself.  He  keeps  in 
view  that  the  great  objective  is  to  form  character,  and  not 
to  entertain,  and  makes  lessons,  songs,  talk,  and  prayers 
all  bear  on  that  objective.  His  best  work  is  ever  ahead. 
Thorvaldsen,  who  sculptured  the  "Lion  of  Lucerne,"  when 
asked  what  was  his  greatest  work,  replied,  "My  next." 
When  we  lean  on  our  past  we  cease  to  grow.  Our  super- 
intendent keeps  his  individuality  in  the  work,  but  an  in- 
dividuality trimmed  of  unpleasant  angles,  markedly  cour- 
teous, and  molded  and  fused  on  the  divine  plan  of  kindli- 


36  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ness  and  love.  He  plans  for  the  training  of  his  workers 
through  correspondence  study  and  other  training  courses. 
He  knows  that  he  touches  his  pupils  best  through  the 
trained  teacher.  He  keeps  the  bones  of  the  work  out  of 
sight.  In  putting  others  at  work  he  saves  himself  for 
points  of  special  need. 

He  sends  a  personal  birthday  greeting  to  his  teachers  and 
oflEicers.  They  are  his  class.  He  should  keep  close  to  them. 
He  makes  sure  that  the  new  pupil  is  welcomed  and  the 
home  visited.  He  sees  that  his  pupils  are  remembered 
through  a  birthday  message. 

He  knows  that  the  devil  is  often  in  league  with  the  sexton 
in  matters  of  ventilation.  He  knows  that  "Do"  is  a  bigger, 
better  word  than  "Don't,"  and  "Come"  than  "Go."  He  uses 
the  lever  of  commendation  to  build  up.  He  gets  into  some 
superintendents'  union  if  possible,  and  exchanges  plans. 
He  knows  that  his  Sunday  school  must  stand  foursquare  on 
its  spiritual,  social,  mental,  and  physical  pillars,  and  plans 
for  all  these  lines  for  his  young  people.  He  has  a  "sugges- 
tion box"  for  good  Sunday-school  ideas  from  pupils  and 
teachers  and  gives  credit  for  them.  He  lets  people  know 
that  he  is  always  accessible.  He  gives  every  pupil  a  square 
chance  to  acknowledge  and  follow  Christ.  He  is  forever 
at  school  himself,  learning  from  Christ,  from  others,  and 
from  his  own  mistakes.  He  puts  his  best  energies  into  the 
building  up  of  the  school  at  its  weak  points.  He  knows  that 
the  strong  points  will  take  care  of  themselves.  He  helps 
his  teachers  to  a  larger  vision  and  brightens  his  teachers' 
meetings  by  having  a  chapter  from  some  live  Sunday-school 
book  read  at  each  gathering.  He  wins  the  cooperation  of 
parents  and  plans  for  their  visitation  and  ingathering.  He 
spends  an  hour  or  more  weekly  with  his  records  and  learns 
much  from  them.  He  plans  conferences  with  teachers, 
officers,  and  committees,  and  keeps  them  inspired  through 
good  literature.  He  gets  his  work  on  his  heart  and  mind 
seven  days  a  week  and  overtime  on  Sundays.  He  individual- 
izes the  pupils  as  much  as  possible  in  work  and  recognition. 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  37 

He  knows  that  homemade  appliances  are  often  better  than 
store  goods,  and  that  a  blackboard,  even  if  used  but  poorly, 
carries  further  than  his  speech.  He  dreams  of  a  complete 
school,  and  little  by  little  makes  his  vision  real — ^such 
dreams  as  holding  the  boys  and  young  men,  supplemental 
drills,  best  teaching  methods,  a  saved  school  inspired  for 
service.  He  knows  that  there  are  no  difficulties  that  are 
insuperable.  "^Only  Providence  can  stand  in  the  way  of  a 
determined  man."  Our  superintendent  plans  his  work  and 
works  his  plans.  He  does  not  happen  on  success.  Above 
all,  he  puts  love  into  his  work  and  gets  back  what  he  gives. 

7.  His  compensations.  He  will  have  the  reverence  and 
lasting  respect  of  scores  and  hundreds  of  those  into  whose 
lives  he  has  entered  as  a  molding  force  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten. He  has  the  consciousness  of  knowing  that  he  occu- 
pies week  by  week  a  forum  of  power,  the  platform.  He 
lives  in  anticipation  of  having  at  last  tJie  Master's  commen- 
dation: "Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  these  my  breth- 
ren, even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  me." 

The  Bible  becomes  more  of  a  personal  treasure  and  Christ 
a  greater  reality  as  he  seeks  to  apply  both  to  the  need  of 
others. 

Some  years  ago  a  company  of  Sunday-school  workers 
called  upon  John  Wanamaker  at  his  store  in  Philadelphia. 
In  response  to  the  words  of  earnest  greeting  from  the 
visitors  Mr.  Wanarnaker  said:  "Brethren,  if  you  will  take 
this  as  my  testimony — and  I  give  it  at  the  end  of  fifty  years' 
experience  with  one  Sunday  school — if  I  were  to  live  my 
life  over  I  would  begin  just  where  I  did,  only  I  think  I 
could  do  my  work  four  times  better' than  I  did.  There  is 
no  better  investment  of  life,  no  matter  how  rich  or  wise  a 
man  may  become." 

Brother  superintendent,  a  true  estimate  of  our  work 
will  lead  us  to  the  viewpoint  of  Phillips  Brooks: 

Oh,  do  not  pray  for  easy  lives;  pray  to  be  stronger  men. 
Do  not  pray  for  tasks  equal  to  your  powers;  pray  for  powers 
equal  to  your  tasks.     Then  the  doing  of  your  task  shall  be 


38  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

no  miracle.  But  you  shall  be  the  miracle.  Every  day  you 
shall  wonder  at  yourself,  at  the  richness  of  life  which  has 
come  to  you  by  the  grace  of  God. 

Bibliography 
The  Successful  Sunday  School  Superintendent,  Wells. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  paid   superintendency. 

2.  The  career  of  some  especially  successful  superinten- 
dents. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  should  constitute  a  superintendent's  call? 

2.  How  should  he  be  elected? 

3.  What  four  qualifications  are  essential  for  his  success? 

4.  Name  four  things  he  should  not  do. 

5.  Name  four  things  he  should  do. 

6.  What  are  some  of  the  rewards  of  his  work? 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  SCHOOL  GRADED 

1.  Why  gi'ade  the  school?  (1)  God  lias  graded  the 
child. — In  grading  the  school  we  are  seeking  to  adapt  the 
material  to  the  individual  according  to  his  age  and  devel- 
opment. Grading  recognizes  that  there  are  distinct  stages 
in  the  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  growth  of  the  pupil. 
At  the  earlier  stage  play  is  the  dominating  interest;  at  the 
junior  age  memory  power  is  strong;  in  the  early  teens 
biography  makes  its  appeal;  in  the  later  teens,  altruism, 
"The  aptitudes,  the  needs,  the  interests,  of  the  different 
periods  can  only  be  met  and  taken  advantage  of  by  a 
graded  system." 

(2)  The  Sunday  school  is  a  church  school. — The  superin- 
tendent is  the  principal  of  the  school.  The  principles  of 
religious  teaching  are  not  different  from  those  of  secular 
teaching.  Full  advantage  should  be  taken  of  all  well-ascer- 
tained results  in  the  field  of  secular  education  and  applied 
to  the  Sunday  school,  keeping  in  view  the  natural  limita- 
tions imposed  by  a  volunteer  service  and  an  often  inade- 
quate equipment. 

(3)  The  first  principle  in  modern  teaching  is  to  know  the 
mind  of  the  pupil. — "Scientific  pedagogy  has  been  coming 
more  and  more  to  hold  that  effective  teaching  must  regard 
first  the  mind  of  the  learner  and  consider  the  teaching  ma- 
terial as  a  means  of  reaching  desired  ends"  (Barclay). 
This  viewpoint  makes  inevitable  the  grading  of  lesson  ma- 
terial, of  worship,  and  of  the  expressional  life  of  the  school. 

2.  How  grade  the  school?  In  nearly  every  school  there 
is  some  form  of  grading.  The  uniform  lesson  helps  natu- 
rally grade  schools  into  primary,  junior,  intermediate-senior, 
and  young-people-adult  groups.     The   primary   graded  les- 

39 


40  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

sons  are  in  use  in  many  small  schools  that  otherwise  may 
use  the  uniform  lesson. 

Certain  difficulties  inherent  in  the  closely  graded  lessons, 
which  provide  three  different  grade  lessons  in  a  given  de- 
partment, are  recognized  in  their  application  to  the  small 
school.  While  these  closely  graded  lessons  should  be  recog- 
nized and  applied  wherever  possible  as  an  educational  ideal, 
the  International  Lesson  Committee  has  endeavored  to  meet 
the  conditions  existing  in  the  average  and  especially  the 
small  school  by  a  proposal  for  a  series  of  group  lessons, 
which  require  but  one  lesson  at  the  same  time  for  an  entire 
department  or  for  a  departmental  class  in  the  small  school. 
These  group  lessons  will  likely  gradually  displace  the  uni- 
form lessons  and  will  solve  the  problem  of  many  a  superin- 
tendent who  wishes  to  regard  the  graded  principle  in  his 
work  but  finds  difficulty  in  using  the  closely  graded  lessons. 
These  group  lessons  will  help  in  the  matter  of  substitutes, 
in  harmonizing  the  departmental  program  for  the  day  as 
to  songs,  prayer,  and  expressional  plans  with  the  group 
lesson,  and  will  enable  at  least  a  departmental  teachers' 
meeting  dealing  with  the  lesson. 

The  general  principle  that  must  be  recognized  in  grading 
is  a  due  regard  to  age  and  to  the  physical,  mental,  and 
spiritual  development  of  the  pupil  in  the  matters  of  curric- 
ulum, teaching  methods,  and  promotions.  We  must  re- 
gard the  three  normal  divisions  of  human  life — "childhood, 
the  period  of  subjection,  imitation,  receptivity;  youth,  the 
period  of  awakening  powers;  manhood,  the  period  of  de- 
veloped powers."  A  careful  study  of  these  periods  has 
made  necessary  some  clear  subdivisions  of  these  periods 
with  certain  variations  due  to  sex  and  retarded  or  rapid 
development.  Any  grading  strictly  on  age  lines  must  be 
more  or  less  defective.  The  main  consideration  is  to  grade 
as  closely  as  possible. 

The  following  plan  of  grading  and  organization,  gen- 
erally approved  by  Sunday-school  agencies  and  boards,  is 
suggested : 


THE  SCHOOL  GRADED 


41 


CliildreiiVs  Division: 

Ages   Puhlic-school  grade 
1 

Cradle  Roll 

X 

2 
3 

•      Beginners'  Department 

4 
.  5 

1 

Primary  Department 

6 

7 
8 

1 
2 
3 

Junior  Department 
Young  People's  Division: 
Intermediate  Department 

9 
10 
11 

12 
13 
14 

4 
5 
6 

7 
8 
9 

Senior  Department 

15 
16 
17 

10 
11 
12 

Young  People's  Department 

18 
to 
24 

Adult  Department :                      over  24, 

including,    in    close 
correlation, 
Home  Department 
Parents'  Department 
Organized  adult 
classes. 

Teacfier  Training  Department 


3.  Extension  of  the  graded  principle.  The  principle 
of  grading,  when  admitted  as  essential  in  any  plan  for  the 
making  of  intelligent  Christians,  must  carry  us  further 
than  the  matter  of  curriculum  and  departmental  division. 
It  must  be  applied  to  the  whole  sweep  of  our  work — recrea- 
tion, evangelism,  social  service,  special  days,  missions. 
For  the  same  reason  that  we  would  not  study  the  same 
lesson  material  at  seven  as  at  seventeen  we  would  not  heed 
the  same  evangelistic  appeal,  we  would  not  be  appealed  to 


42  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

by  the  same  phases  of  missionary  endeavor,  we  would  not 
enjoy  the  same  sports  and  games,  the  same  songs  and 
prayers  would  not  equally  impress,  the  same  kinds  of  social 
service  would  not  interest. 

Right  here  is  the  argument  for  separate  rooms  for  each 
department,  so  that  this  principle  of  religious  education 
can  be  applied  to  age  groups  the  year  through.  It  is  an 
educational  fallacy  and  an  administrative  mistake  for  the 
superintendent  to  attempt  each  Sunday  to  bring  all  of  his 
departments  into  one  session  for  general  exercises.  Every 
principle  of  successful  teaching  is  violated  when  he  at- 
tempts to  adapt  the  opening  or  closing  service  of  worship  to 
the  primary  children,  juniors,  intermediates,  seniors,  young 
people,  and  adults.  I  am  well  aware  that  our  defective 
provision  of  separate  rooms  or  department  equipment  makes 
difficult  and  almost  impossible  any  other  plan.  I  know,  too, 
that  the  one-room  school  prevails  in  the  rural  sections  of 
our  country  and  in  many  villages  and  towns,  and  that  the 
best  that  can  be  done  frequently  is  to  separate  the  primary 
children  and  to  apply  the  graded  plan  through  the  individ- 
ual teacher  to  the  class  group.  But  I  am  also  aware  that 
there  are  many  superintendents,  good  men,  who  still  har- 
bor the  idea  that  a  successful  school  consists  in  a  general 
gathering,  where  he  can  see  his  flock  and  they  can  see  him. 
The  hurrah  plan  of  the  mass  meeting  does  not  mean  that 
the  best  thing  has  been  done  for  the  teacher  or  the  indi- 
vidual pupil.  Personally  I  would  rather  never  see  my 
school  in  one  assembly  if  by  it  a  pupil  would  fail  of  the 
right  educational  impressions.  And  in  my  own  school  we 
adhere  strictly  to  the  plan  of  complete  departmental  separa- 
tion throughout  the  entire  session. 

The  interest  of  the  pupil,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  is  greater 
when  his  own  age  interests  are  appealed  to  by  the  separate 
session.  The  boy  of  sixteen  resents  being  classed,  intel- 
lectually or  socially,  with  the  boy  of  eleven,  and  one  reason 
why  we  have  not  held  the  boy  and  girl  in  their  teens  in 
larger  numbers  is  because  of  this  very  intermixture. 


THE  SCHOOL  GRADED  43 

Little  by  little  Sunday-school  architecture  is  con- 
forming to  these  principles,  and  meanwhile  the  only  thing 
to  do  is  to  make  such  separations  and  departmental  recog- 
nitions as  are  possible  where  conditions  are  limited.  In 
the  chapters  on  equipment  and  organization  this  will  be 
discussed. 

Where  opportunity  permits,  therefore,  and  especially 
where  the  size  of  the  school  and  the  arrangement  of  rooms 
makes  it  possible,  the  plan  of  grading  should  be  extended 
to  all  phases  of  the  departmental  life.  By  this  I  mean  to 
the  lessons,  exercises,  platform  drill,  library,  missionary 
and  other  benevolences,  socials  and  recreations,  evangelistic 
appeal,  special  days,  and  general  service  expression.  As 
an  instance  the  plan  would  provide  for  a  different  character 
of  Christmas  exercises  for  each  department — a  Christmas 
tree,  with  its  collateral  interests  for  the  younger  children; 
a  cantata  for  the  juniors;  a  world  missionary  program  with 
an  altruistic  appeal  for  the  seniors;  and  Christ  magnified 
in  all. 

4.  Shall  teachers  be  graded?  The  question  whether 
teachers  should  stay  with  the  department  in  a  graded  school 
or  go  forward  with  the  class  is  frequently  raised.  In  the 
departments  up  through  the  junior  I  think  the  teacher 
should  stay  with  the  department,  if  he  or  she  shows  special 
fitness  for  the  graded  work.  My  experience  is  that  there 
are  some  junior  teachers  who  are  often  fitted  for  the  ad- 
vanced work  of  the  teens  and  who,  at  the  transitional  age 
(physically)  of  the  pupil,  might  well  go  forward  with  the 
class.  Especially  is  this  desirable  where  the  school  policy 
is  to  train  its  young  people  as  teachers  during  the  period 
of  the  later  teens;  for  these  young  people  are  as  a  rule 
better  fitted  to  teach  pupils  below  the  teen  age,  and  plans 
must  be  made  for  them  in  the  teaching  work  of  junior  or 
lower  departments. 

In  the  transition,  too,  from  the  Intermediate  to  the 
Senior,  and  from  the  Senior  to  the  Young  People's  Depart- 
ment the  question  of  the  personal  fitness  of  the  teacher  to 


44  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

advance  with  the  pupil  and  the  question  of  personal  re- 
lationship to  the  pupil  must  enter  into  the  decision  as  to 
holding  or  promoting  the  teacher.  For  this  is  an  age  when 
the  teacher's  personal  grip  on  the  big  boy  and  girl  is  fre- 
quently the  determining  factor  in  inducing  continued  at- 
tendance upon  the  school  and  in  launching  the  life  for 
Christ,  especially  if  there  is  not  a  strong  young  people's 
departmental  interest  to  attract. 

I  can  well  understand  how  many  a  superintendent,  facing 
his  own  school  conditions  and  limitations  in  the  light  of 
these  principles,  may  have  almost  a  sense  of  discourage- 
ment. The  real  and  the  ideal  seem  far  apart.  But  I  often 
think  of  that  pithy  statement  of  Marion  Lawrance:  "Do  the 
best  you  can  with  what  you  have  where  you  are  to-day." 
And  if  we  can  work  out  these  ideas,  little  by  little,  under 
present  limitations,  aiming  constantly  for  some  improve- 
ment, we  have  succeeded. 

The  recognition  of  the  graded  principle  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  church  school  is  fundamental.  The  question 
of  practical  organization  on  the  lines  of  this  principle  will 
be  taken  up  under  Chapters  IV  and  V.  In  any  such  plan 
an  educational  superintendent,  where  the  superintendent 
is  not  especially  qualified,  would  seem  to  be  necessary  to 
supervise  grading,  promotions,  curriculum,  teacher  train- 
ing, etc.  And  in  the  training  of  the  teacher  emphasis  should 
be  placed  upon  specialization  reading  and  study  for  his  de- 
partmental work. 

Bibliography 

The  School  in  the  Modern  Church,  Cope. 
The   Graded   Sunday  School  in  Principle  and  PracticCy 
Meyer. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  Graded  lesson  courses. 

2.  Some  successful  graded  schools. 


TJHE  SCHOOL  GRADED 


45 


ORGANIZATION  CHART 

AGE 

COURSE 

TITLES  OF  COURSES 

Dcpirbneotal  Gro<ips 

School 
Gr.dei 

Pbol 

Plan  2 

4 

5 

BEGIN- 
NERS 

The  Little  ChUd  and  the  Heavenly  Father 
(A  Two  Year  Course  for  ctuldren  of  Kindergarten  age.) 

BEGIN. 
NERS 

BEGIN- 
NERS 

KINDER. 
GARTEN 

I 

E     G 

11 

T     E 
A     S 

4 

I 
8 

L 

I 

6 

I 

Bible  Stories  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home-Year  i 

PRI- 
MARY 

PRI- 
MARY 

7 
8 

n 

Bible  Stories  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home- Year  3 

m 

Bible  Stories  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home-Year  3 

9 

IV 

Stories  from  the  Olden  Time  ^"'^'"^fifS)  ^"°™" 

JUNIOR 

JUNIOR 

10 

V 

Hero  Stories  (including  Special  Summer  Material) 

n 

VI 

Kingdom  Stories  (including  Special  Summer  Material) 

12 

vn 

Gospel  Stories  (including  Special  Summer  Material) 

INTER- 
MEDIATE 

13 

vm 

Leaders  of  Israel  fmcluding  Special  Summer  Material) 

INTER- 
MEDIATE 

14 

IX 

Christian  Leaders  (including  Special  Summer  Material) 

15 

X 

The  Life  of  Christ  (including  Special  Summer  Material) 

SENIOR 

i6 

XI 

Christian  Living  (including  Special  Summer  Material) 

17 

xn 

The  Worid  a  Field  for  Christian  Service 

SENIOR 

x8 

xm 

The  History  and  Literature  of  the  Hebrew  People 

YOUNG 
PEOPLE 

TO 

24 
YEARS 

19 

XIV 

The  History  of  New  Testament  Times 

30 

XV 

The  Bible  and  Social  Living 

Special  Courses  for  Parents  and  Elective  Courses 
on  Special  Topics 

ADULT 

THE  COURSES  BEGIN  WITH  OCTOBER                                                           | 

Note 

Plan  1:  When  the  graded  lessons  were  first  issued,  the 
yearly  courses  were  grouped  to  correspond  to  this  well- 
known  classification  of  pupils,  and  the  textbooks  were 
marked  in  accordance  with  this  plan. 

Plan  2:  The  departmental  grouping  by  a  series  of  three 
years  to  a  department  corresponds  to  the  school  grading 
where  junior  high  schools  have  been  organized  and  is  now 
recommended  by  many  denominations. 

Care  must  be  taken  to  select  the  graded  courses  by  age 
and  titles,  as  indicated  in  the  left  column,  rather  than  by 
department  names. 

Copyright,    1918,   by  N.   S.   Barnes 


46  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  principle  of  grading? 

2.  How  closely  should  the  Sunday  school  follow  the  pub- 
lic school  in  grading? 

3.  State  the  divisions  of  grading. 

4.  Name  the  departments  and  age  groups. 

5.  What  is  the  argument  for  separation  of  departments? 

6.  How  far  shall  the  graded  principle  be  carried? 

7.  Shall  teachers  be  graded? 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  SCHOOL  EQUIPPED 

1.  The  Suuday-scliool  building.  (1)  The  church' S~ 
new  vision  as  to  Sunday-school  housing. — "The  complete 
Sunday  school  is  one  which  meets  the  needs  of  every  indi- 
vidual member  at  each  stage  of  his  development  and  plans 
for  its  own  perpetuation  as  an  institution." 

In  the  last  ten  years,  because  of  its  changed  conception  as 
to  the  place  of  religious  education,  the  church  has  entirely 
revised  its  views  on  the  question  of  Sunday-school  architec- 
ture and  equipment.  This  has  come  about  in  part  through 
the  introduction  of  graded  lessons,  a  new  demand  upon 
the  church  that  it  shall  provide  adequately  for  the  physical 
and  social  life  of  the  young  people,  a  new  emphasis  upon 
week-day  schools  for  religious  education,  and  a  new  sense 
of  its  obligation  as  a  community  center,  in  which  shall 
focus  all  that  is  wholesome  and  uplifting  for  the  com- 
munity life. 

Church  and  Sunday-school  architects  have  been  revising 
their  plans  to  meet  this  new  demand.  We  find  such  organ- 
izations as  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools  and  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  estab- 
lishing a  joint  department  on  church  and  Sunday-school 
architecture,  which  incorporates  in  its  plans  for  new  build- 
ings the  latest  ideas  for  the  Sunday  school  and  which  ad- 
vises as  to  the  remodeling  of  present  inadequate  plants  on 
the  newer  lines.  We  find  the  Publication  and  Sunday  School 
Board  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States  (Phila- 
delphia) issuing  a  series  of  practical  pamphlets  on  Sunday- 
school  equipment.  In  one  of  these,  Housing  the  Church 
School,  by  Blanche  A.  Zieber,  plans  are  outlined  for  remod- 
eling or  building  seven  types  of  buildings:  "The  One-Room," 

47 


48  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

"The  One-Room  With  Partitions,"  "The  One-Room  and  Base- 
ment," "The  Combination  Building,"  "Separate  Rooms  With 
Movable  Partitions,"  "Entire  Separation  for  Each  Depart- 
ment," and  "Separate  Assembly  Rooms  With  Classrooms." 

A  library  of  books  dealing  especially  with  church  and 
Sunday-school  architecture  has  been  produced,  including 
such  books  as  Housing  tlie  Rural  Sunday  School,  Bruner; 
Housing  the  Sunday  School,  Lawrance;  and  The  Sunday 
School  Building  and  Its  Equipment,  Evans. 

New  emphasis  has  been  given  to  the  whole  matter 
through  a  careful  survey  of  the  field  of  Sunday-school  and 
church  architecture,  especially  with  reference  to  the  pro- 
vision by  the  church  for  its  church  school  and  the  week- 
day life,  conducted  by  a  Commission  on  American  Religious 
Education,  under  the  leadership  of  Professor  Walter  S. 
Athearn,  of  Boston  University.  In  this  investigation  a 
wide  variety  of  existing  churches  were  studied,  and  a  score 
card  was  used  covering  the  points  of  site,  building,  service 
system,  church  rooms,  religious  school  rooms  and  com- 
munity-service rooms.  Churches  were  rated  according  to 
their  measurement  by  this  test. 

Certain  it  is  that  the  Sunday  school  has  passed  the  day 
of  its  debasement.  It  can  no  longer  be  an  afterthought  in 
the  plans  of  architects  and  church  committees.  In  its  hous- 
ing plans  the  church  is  accepting  responsibility  for  the  edu- 
cational work  of  the  school  and  for  the  whole  realm  of  life 
between  Sundays.  The  community  is  demanding  this  of 
the  church  as  a  tax-free  institution.  Young  people  are  re- 
quiring this  at  the  hands  of  church  officials  who  must  know 
that  the  whole  strategy  for  the  church  of  the  future  is  to 
conserve  the  whole  of  life  for  Christ  and  service.  Young 
people  are  measuring  the  church  by  these  new  standards. 
Where  the  church  makes  an  adequate  investment  on  these 
lines,  the  church  school  grows  apace. 

(2)  The  committee  on  Sunday-school  housing  and  equip- 
ment.— A  first  step  in  realizing  the  goal  of  better  housing 
and  equipment  for  the  Sunday  school  is  the  appointment  of 


THE  SCHOOL  EQUIPPED  49 

a  committee  on  Sunday-school  housing  and  equipment  to 
make  a  survey  of  the  local  conditions  and  needs  and  to 
study  the  best  plans  for  improvement  (see  Sunday  School 
Officers'  Manual,  Brown,  Chapter  XXIII),  Often  a  compara- 
tively small  expenditure  will  greatly  enlarge  the  efficiency 
and  attractiveness  of  the  plant.  The  committee  should  seek 
suggestions  from  the  denominational  Sunday-school  boards 
as  well  as  from  competent  members  of  the  school. 

After  agreement  upon  plans  a  reconstruction  day  may  be 
arranged  if  the  plan  is  to  remodel  an  old  building  to  meet 
Sunday-school  needs,  and  the  interest  of  classes  or  depart- 
ments enlisted  for  parts  of  the  plan  in  cooperation,  of 
course,  with  a  general  church  effort.  These  parts  may  be 
the  provision  of  partitions,  paint,  wall  decoration,  pictures, 
mottoes,  carpets,  hangings,  blackboards,  sand  table,  charts, 
shrubbery  or  flowers  for  grounds,  flags,  or  classroom  deco- 
rations. 

The  simplest  plans  for  housing  the  school  should  provide 
for  the  separation  of  the  beginners  and  the  primary  chil- 
dren from  the  rest  of  the  school  by  solid  partitions,  to  per- 
mit of  singing  and  recitation  work.  The  next  important 
step,  in  view  of  the  memory  drill  work  required  at  that 
age,  is  a  separate  room  for  the  juniors.  And  any  plan 
that  aims  at  educational  efficiency  will  include  rooms  for 
the  Beginners',  Primary,  Junior,  Intermediate,  Senior, 
Young  People's,  Adult,  and  Training  Departments.  Beyond 
that  comes  the  need  for  executive  and  other  workrooms 
and  the  recreational  and  social  life.  These  will  be  touched 
upon  in  detail. 

In  any  plan  light  and  air  must  be  essentials.  Even  if 
plain  the  walls  can  be  tinted  with  some  warm  color.  Mot- 
toes and  texts  that  stand  for  great  ideals  can  be  painted 
or  hung  upon  the  walls.  And  there  are  scores  of  pictures 
,  of  childhood,  of  missionary  and  church  and  national  heroes, 
as  well  as  copies  of  the  great  masterpieces,  which  can  be 
had  cheaply,  which  are  of  inspirational  and  religious  value, 
French  schoolboys  are  taken  to  the  palace  of  Versailles  to 


50  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

study  the  great  paintings  of  the  Napoleonic  battles  and 
thus  absorb  a  love  of  country.  No  less  wise  should  we  be 
in  teaching,  through  the  eye  gate,  the  ideals  of  the  church. 
An  occasional  change  of  mottoes  or  pictures  is  advisable, 

2.  The  school's  workrooms.  (1)  The  department 
roo7ns. — Where  the  architectural  arrangement  permits  of 
department  rooms,  they  should  be  fitted  to  the  needs  of 
the  various  departments.  When  an  absolute  separation  by 
wall  cannot  be  arranged,  there  are  devices  for  making  arti- 
ficial separation  by  means  of  screens,  folding  or  drop  or 
rolling  canvas  partitions,  or  by  heavy  curtains  hung  on 
bars  or  heavy  vy^ire. 

In  Chapter  VII  we  shall  consider  the  appliances  and 
decorations  required  for  each  department.  Every  depart- 
ment should  be  equipped  with  a  double  blackboard  for 
hymns,  special  mottoes,  attendance  and  Bible  record,  drill 
work,  lesson  theme,  or  central  thought.  The  department 
motto  and  banner  and  honor  banner  should  be  in  evidence; 
also  the  pupils'  honor  roll  for  attendance  or  meritorious 
work. 

(2)  The  ussemMy  room. — In  the  one-room  school  or  the 
school  where  of  necessity  several  departments  are  combined 
for  opening  or  closing  worship,  it  is  desirable  to  have  a 
piano  in  preference  to  an  organ,  a  hymn  board  for  announce- 
ment of  the  service  and  hymn  numbers,  a  double  black- 
board and  announcement  board  for  total  attendance,  offer- 
ing, and  Bibles.  Frames  with  removable  letters  can  be 
used  for  some  of  these  purposes  and  for  brief  notices.  A 
bulletin  board  at  some  prominent  point  is  of  value  for 
special  notices,  compelling  quotations,  missionary  facts, 
and  slogans  for  the  day  or  month. 

In  such  a  room  chairs  tipped  with  rubber  or  felt  are  to 
be  preferred  to  settees;  for  they  permit  grouping  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  class.  The  teacher's  table,  with  drawer 
for  songbooks  and  materials,  should  be  at  the  center  of 
each  group  in  the  department  or  assembly  room.  A  class 
box,  accessible  to  the  secretary,   is  desirable  for  offering, 


THE  SCHOOL  EQUIPPED  51 

class  book,  and  other  material.  A  very  impressive  wall 
cabinet,  26  feet  by  8,  has  been  worked  out  by  the  Presby- 
terian Sunday  school  of  Bozeman,  Montana,  containing 
blackboards  and  supplies,  charts,  songs  and  illustrations, 
and  sand  board.  This  was  built  from  a  set  of  complete 
detail  working  drawings,  which  are  available.  Wherever 
possible  the  superintendent's  platform  should  be  equipped 
with  electric  signals  for  warning  purposes  and  to  call 
officers  or  aids. 

(3)  Classrooms. — The  growth  of  senior,  young  people's, 
and  adult-class  organization  makes  classrooms  imperative 
in  a  school  of  any  size.  These  classrooms  become  the  cen- 
ter of  class  enthusiasm  and  precious  memories.  They  are 
essential  for  the  best  teaching  work.  If  the  partitions  in 
these  classrooms  can  be  folded  back  during  the  department 
service  of  worship,  it  will  give  a  sense  of  unity  to  the  ses- 
sion. Where  the  meeting  room  does  not  provide  for  class- 
rooms, screens  or  curtains  or  folding  partition  can  be  used 
for  class  separation. 

The  classroom  equipment  may  include  a  hat  rack,  cabi- 
net for  card  index  of  class,  forms  and  supplies,  a  good  re- 
versible blackboard  with  a  box  of  crayons  and  eraser,  bul- 
letin board  for  class  items,  table  for  songbooks  and  other 
materials,  class-organization  certificate  framed,  pictures 
of  great  leaders  and  of  the  class  group,  class  name  and 
motto  worked  in  class  colors  on  pennant  or  in  banner  form, 
and  a  shelf  projecting  into  the  department  room  for  class 
records  and  other  items  from  or  for  the  school  secretary 
and  treasurer. 

(4)  Executive  room. — This  should  be  conveniently  lo- 
cated, so  as  to  be  reached  easily  by  teachers  and  pupils. 
The  school  superintendent,  secretary,  and  treasurer  should 
have  desks  in  this  room  unless  the  school  is  large  enough 
to  have  separate  rooms  for  these  officers.  Where  there  is 
an  enrollment  and  absentee  secretary,  his  desk  and  that  of 
the  secretary  should  be  marked.  The  equipment  for  the 
secretary  may   include   the   general   register,   class   books, 


52  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

visitors'  register,  card  indexes  for  birthdays,  alphabetical 
card  index,  and  even  a  street  index,  grouping  families  under 
their  street  locations  for  visitation  purposes. 

The  treasurer's  outfit  should  include  his  record  book 
for  regular,  benevolent,  and  special  offerings,  class  bags 
for  envelopes,  and  duplex  envelopes  for  the  weekly  offerings 
of  the  pupils  for  the  school  and  benevolences.  Special  en- 
velopes can  be  used  for  special  days. 

A  gelatin  pad  for  circular  letters  is  useful.  Many  schools 
now  have  typewriters,  members  of  the  school  who  are 
stenographers  giving  a  certain  amount  of  time  to  the  school 
clerical  work  as  a  volunteer  service. 

(5)  Library  room. — While  the  public  libraries,  sown 
thick  throughout  the  land,  have  superseded  in  many  places 
the  old  Sunday-school  library,  there  is  still  an  imperative 
need  for  libraries  including  up-to-date  missionary  books, 
books  of  reference,  and  of  information  for  teachers.  Such 
libraries  will  be  treated  in  the  appropriate  chapter.  There 
should  be  a  library  room,  where  pupils  and  teachers  can 
spend  their  evenings  reading  or  playing  games.  Such  a 
room  will  become  a  center  of  week-day  interest.  It  should 
include  copies  of  the  best  magazines.  In  this  or  the  sec- 
retaries' room  should  be  kept  the  songbooks  of  the  school 
and  the  class  boxes  where  the  class  tables  are  not  used. 

(6)  ExhiMt  room. — Where  local  conditions  will  not  per- 
mit a  separate  room,  this  room  may  be  combined  with  the 
library.  In  such  cases  cabinets  can  be  provided  for  col- 
lection of  curios,  such  as  samples  of  products  and  flowers 
from  Bible  lands,  especially  those  things  which  will  illus- 
trate Bible  references.  These  can  be  obtained  reasonably 
from  Sunday-school  supply  houses.  This  room  can  be  made 
of  great  value  in  stimulating  missionary  interest  through 
exhibits  of  curios  and  souvenirs  from  missionary  lands 
and  pictures  of  missionary  heroes. 

(7)  Manual  room. — Where  quarters  are  limited,  the 
features  of  this  room  may  have  to  be  combined  with  one  or 
both  of  the  rooms  above  mentioned.     But  there  should  be 


THE  SCHOOL  EQUIPPED  53 

a  room  with  a  center  table,  chairs,  and  closet  for  the  tech- 
nical side  of  the  school's  work.  The  best  maps,  a  good 
picture  of  Jerusalem,  relief  maps  of  the  Holy  Land,  pulp- 
map  work,  a  sand  table,  charts  of  Christ's  life  by  periods, 
charts  of  Christ's  and  Paul's  journeys,  models  of  Oriental 
buildings,  charts  showing  dress,  products,  and  implements 
of  Palestine  or,  better  still,  models  of  them,  a  stereoscope 
and  outfit  of  pictures  of  Bible  lands,  a  large  globe,  a  school 
stereopticon,  materials  for  object  teaching — some  of  these 
should  find  a  place  in  such  a  room.  And  the  handwork  and 
notebook  work  accomplished  by  pupils  should  be  displayed. 

(8)  Gymnasium  and  drill  room. — Provision  must  be  made 
for  the  week-day  physical  life  of  the  young  people.  When 
a  separate  room  can  be  planned  for,  it  is  better,  but  fre- 
quently some  department  room  may  have  to  serve  a  double 
purpose.  Some  simple  gymnasium  apparatus  should  be 
provided,  such  as  a  swinging  ring,  gymnasium  horse,  a 
swinging  bar,  a  thick  mat,  and  Indian  clubs.  If  facilities 
permit,  include  lockers,  showers,  basketball  and  handball 
courts,  swimming  pool,  and  bowling  alley. 

Camps  for  Boy  Scouts  and  Girl  Scouts,  Camp  Fire  Girls 
and  similar  organizations  are  multiplying  among  the  Sun- 
day schools  of  the  country  and  are  effective  factors  in  hold- 
ing our  young  people.  The  gymnasium  may  serve  the 
double  purpose  of  a  drill  and  meeting  room  for  these. 

(9)  Social  and  club  rooms. — These  should  have  homelike 
elements  that  will  attract  young  people  in  the  face  of  the 
counterattractions  of  the  community.  Where  these  rooms 
are  used  by  women's,  men's,  boys',  and  girls'  organizations, 
the  insignia  of  these  organizations  should  be  displayed 
about  the  rooms.  Any  expenditure  for  the  beautifying  of 
these  rooms  for  gathering  of  teachers,  parents,  classes,  and 
other  units  will  be  worth  while.  Many  churches  have 
added  a  kitchen  for  use  on  social  occasions. 

3.  Other  equipment.  (1)  School  motto  and  colors. — 
A  motto  or  school  slogan  embracing  the  school  idea  should 
be  selected.     It  may  be  Scriptural   or  otherwise.     It  will 


54  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

stimulate  interest.  It  should  appear  upon  the  school  wall 
and  be  occasionally  repeated  in  the  service  of  worship.  It 
should  appear  on  the  school  pins.  It  should  be  inscribed 
on  the  school  banner.  The  motto  of  the  writer's  school  is: 
"We  seek  the  best";  and  the  response  is:  "In  love  and 
service  for  the  best  Friend,  in  devotion  to  the  best  Book, 
and  in  loyalty  to  teacher,  class,  and  school."  There  is  no 
objection  to  a  department  motto  to  promote  department 
efficiency.  The  school  colors  should  be  selected  after  care- 
ful consideration  and  should  inspire  school  loyalty.  Badges, 
decorations,  programs,  and  banners  should  reflect  these 
colors,  and  special  days  will  be  the  brighter  and  more  in- 
teresting because  of  them.  The  school  motto  on  the  wall 
should  be  in  these  colors. 

The  school  flower  should  be  selected  with  reference  to  the 
school  colors.  Our  school  colors  are  white  and  gold,  and 
our  flower  is  the  daisy,  with  the  chrysanthemum  as  the 
alternate  flower  for  fall  use. 

Other  mottoes  will  of  course  appear  about  the  walls,  such 
as  "In  everything  give  thanks";  "Be  strong  and  of  good 
courage";  "Love  thinketh  no  evil";  "Expect  great  things 
from  God;  attempt  great  things  for  God";  "Anywhere  if 
only  it  be  forward";  "All  together";  or  "Pull  together." 

(2)  Banners  and  flags. — The  school  banner,  with  motto, 
should  be  displayed  in  front  of  the  room,  encased  with  glass 
front  to  prevent  its  soiling.  Department  banners  should 
be  treated  in  the  same  way.  Banners  for  honor  classes 
for  a  month  of  perfect  record  as  to  attendance  and  Bible 
bringing  will  stimulate  interest. 

In  this  day  of  world  interest  a  well-regulated  school 
should  have  the  Christian  and  American  flags  and  the  flags 
of  the  leading  nations  for  use  upon  patriotic  and  mission- 
ary days.  These  can  easily  be  procured  if  each  class  is 
given  the  opportunity  of  presenting  one  flag.  An  impres- 
sive flag  dedication  service  should  be  held  when  these  flags 
are  formally  presented,  and  the  national  songs  of  the  coun- 
tries sung  by  the  classes  or  as  solos. 


THE  SCHOOL  EQUIPPED  55 

(3)  Maps. — These  can  usually  be  bought  reasonably  in 
a  series  illustrating  the  journeys  of  the  patriarchs  and  the 
children  of  Israel,  the  tribes  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel, 
Palestine  in  Christ's  time,  and  Paul's  journeys.  Where 
such  a  set  is  not  purchased,  one  large  map  of  Palestine  and 
one  that  will  show  Paul's  journeys  will  serve.  In  the  pres- 
ent increasing  interest  in  missions  the  fine  missionary  map 
of  the  world,  which  can  be  bought  cheaply  at  denomina- 
tional headquarters,  is  valuable. 

(4)  Hymnhooks. — In  the  last  ten  years  several  excellent 
Sunday-school  hymnbooks  have  been  issued,  which  include 
the  great  hymns,  new  and  old,  and  combine  high  quality 
with  singing  effectiveness  for  the  small  and  large  school. 
The  words,  too,  are  selected  with  reference  to  high  senti- 
ment and  dignity.  The  opening  and  closing  services  of 
worship  in  these  books  are  rich  in  variety  and  will  in- 
evitably strengthen  the  services.  These  hymnbooks,  when 
selected,  should  be  marked  with  the  class  numbers  and  be 
kept  in  class  tables  or  boxes. 

(5)  Bell. — Where  the  organ,  piano,  or  orchestra  is  used 
in  preludes,  the  bell  is  unnecessary  except  for  warning  five 
minutes  before  the  lesson  closing  and  as  a  signal  for  rising 
or  sitting.  As  a  method  of  securing  order,  especially  by 
frequent  pounding,  it  is  a  failure,  and  a  superintendent 
who  depends  on  it  for  that  purpose  only  promotes  con- 
fusion and  disorder.  Where  electricity  is  available,  an 
electric  gong  signal  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  bell. 

(6)  General  suggestions. — Among  the  accessories  in  gen- 
eral equipment  may  be  mentioned  a  suggestion  box  at  the 
door  for  helpful  ideas  or  questions,  a  bulletin  board  at  the 
entrance  for  any  special  notices  and  for  Sunday-school 
papers,  a  birthday  box  for  birthday  offerings,  a  Sunday- 
school  "thermometer"  showing  enrollment  and  school  at- 
tendance, a  stereopticon,  a  motion-picture  machine,  wall 
cabinets,  and  song  cabinet.  The  platform  should  be  care- 
fully regulated  as  to  height  according  to  the  department 
and  size  of  room. 


56  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

In  the  church  or  school  budget  there  should  be  an  annual 
item  to  provide  for  new  equipment  and  for  the  replacement 
of  the  old. 

Bibliography 

The  Sunday  School  Building  and  Its  Equipment,  Evans. 
Sunday  School  Officers'  Manual,  Brown,  Chapter  XXIII. 
Housing  the  Rural  Sunday  School,  Bruner. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  Some    well-planned   Sunday-school   buildings. 

2.  Plans  for  department  rooms. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  trend  in  Sunday-school  architecture? 

2.  Should  the  Primary  Department  hold  its  sessions  with, 
the  rest  of  the  school?    If  not,  why  not? 

3.  Are  separate  department  rooms  an  essential  to  best 
work,  and  why? 

4.  Name  some  equipment  for  an  assembly  room. 

5.  What  classroom  equipment  is  desirable? 

6.  What  other  rooms  are  requisite  for  the  school's  best 
work? 

7.  Name  a  few  important  items  of  general  equipment. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  SCHOOL. ORGANIZED 

We  shall  in  this  and  the  next  chapter  consider  organ- 
ization as  regards  officers,  departments,  and  committees 
of  the  school — that  is,  its  management  side.  With  school 
organization  as  it  is  related  to  the  work  of  the  teacher, 
the  pupil,  the  home,  and  the  community  we  shall  deal  in 
detail  in  separate  later  chapters. 

Organization  is  essential  for  unity,  strength,  and  per- 
manence. As  the  framework  is  not  intended  for  exhibition, 
so  organization  is  most  effective  when  least  seen;  when  all 
that  is  manifest  is  the  warm,  pulsing,  loving,  busy,  joyful 
life  of  the  school;  when  head,  hand,  and  heart  work  to- 
gether perfectly. 

The  difference  between  a  successful  school  and  one  that 
is  a  failure  lies  frequently  in  organization.  Genius  in  de- 
tails of  management  is  the  secret  of  many  a  superinten- 
dent's success. 

1.  The  schoors  objectives.  The  school  organization 
will  be  determined  by  the  school's  objectives  and  by  its 
size.  I  suggest  a  few  goals  that  should  be  present  in  every 
successful  school:  (1)  Every  pupil  a  Christian  before 
passing  the  years  of  decision;  (2)  the  school  so  graded  that 
the  right  place  can  be  found  in  it  for  every  member  of  the 
community;  (3)  all  the  teachers  students  of  a  training 
course  or  graduates  of  such  a  course;  (4)  every  member 
present  every  Sunday  unless  ill  or  out  of  town,  with  Bible, 
offering,  and  a  prepared  lesson;  (5)  a  regular  gathering  of 
workers  for  conference  upon  school  and  teachers'  prob- 
lems; (6)  all  the  Sunday  school  of  attending  age  at  the 
church  service;  (7)  a  school  session  with  dignity,  soul, 
variety,  and  pulsating  with  interest;    (8)  the  recognition  of 

57 


58  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

special  days  by  appropriate  programs;  (9)  department 
separation  where  possible;  (10)  a  young  people's  leadership- 
training  class  that  shall  equip  for  service  for  the  com- 
munity and  the  world;  (11)  adequate  provision  for  the 
week-day  and  social  and  physical  welfare  of  its  members; 
(12)  the  recognition  and  welcome  of  strangers;  (13)  every 
class  over  twelve  organized  and  registered  with  the  de- 
nominational and  State  Sunday-school-association  head- 
quarters; (14)  every  parent  a  member  of  the  Parent  or 
Home  Department  of  the  school — in  short,  a  school  efficient, 
whether  large  or  small;  educational  rather  than  spectacu- 
lar; Avhere  right  teaching  is  placed  above  entertainment; 
where  instruction  through  the  eye,  ear,  hand,  and  heart 
assures  training  for  complete  living. 

The  school  organization  will  naturally  take  its  spirit 
from  such  objectives.  Not  all  the  organization  described 
below  can  apply  to  every  school.  In  plan  and  principle 
the  suggested  organization  comprises  these  objectives  and 
should  be  carried  out  even  if  necessary  to  merge  the  work 
called  for  in  fewer  executives. 

It  is  important  that  the  superintendent  procure  from  his 
denominational  Sunday-school  headquarters  the  standard 
fixed  for  attainment  and  recognition  by  the  Board  of  Sun- 
day Schools  of  his  denomination.  Sometimes  charts  of 
these  standards  are  furnished  and  should  be  hung  in  a 
prominent  place  in  the  assembly  room. 

The  standard  for  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  schools, 
which  is  admittedly  a  high  one,  follows: 

Aim: 

1.  To  win  every  available  member  of  the  community  to 
the  Sunday  school. 

2.  To  win  the  members  of  the  Sunday  school  to  Christ 
and  the  church;  to  instruct  and  train  them  for  intelli- 
gent and  effective  Christian  living. 

Means: 

1.  Graded  organization  (grouping  by  age,  interest,  and 
capacity). 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  59 

2.  Graded  instruction  (graded  lessons  and  graded  meth- 
ods of  instruction). 

3.  Trained  teachers  and  officers  (at  least  50  per  cent  of 
the  teachers  and  officers  either  students  or  graduates 
of  an  approved  training  course). 

4.  Continuous  evangelism. 

5.  Graded   service   activities. 

6.  Organization  for  systematic  missionary  instruction  and 
giving. 

7.  Regular  church  attendance. 

8.  Annual  Rally  Day  and  offering  for  the  Board  of  Sun- 
day Schools. 

Product: 

The  measure  of  a  school's  efficiency  is  the  character  of 
its  product.  The  following  tests  should  therefore  be 
applied  constantly: 

1.  Is  the  interest  of  the  pupils  in  the  school  increasing? 
Does  this  manifest  itself  in  an  increasing  average  at- 
tendance? 

2.  Is  their  knowledge  of  the  Bible  growing? 

3.  Is  their  devotional  life  steadily  developing? 

4.  Do  they  show  increasing  interest  and  efficiency  in 
Christian  service? 

5.  Is  the  school  increasing  the  number  of  its  trained 
workers? 

A  school  will  attain  this  standard  when  it  accepts  these 
aims,  uses  these  means,  and  measures  its  product  by 
these  tests. 

2.  School  constitution  and  by-laws.  These  neces- 
sarily will  be  modified  by  the  relation  that  the  school  oc- 
cupies to  the  church  under  the  church  polity  of  the  de- 
nomination and  by  the  size  of  the  school  and  its  objectives. 

The  form  of  constitution  for  Methodist  schools  provides 
that  there  shall  be  a  local  Sunday-school  board,  auxiliary 
to  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools,  and  constituted  as  follows: 
the  pastor,  who  shall  be  ex  officio  chairman;  the  committee 
on  religious  instruction,  appointed  by  the  quarterly  con- 
ference; the  director  of  religious  education  (where  there 
is  one) ;  the  superintendent,  who  shall  be  ex  officio  vice 
chairman;  the  assistant  superintendents;  the  heads  of  de- 
partments;   the    duly    elected   secretaries,    treasurers,    and 


60  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

librarians;  the  teachers  of  the  school;  the  assistant  teach- 
ers, nominated  and  elected  in  the  same  way  as  the  teachers; 
the  presidents  of  the  Sunday-school  temperance  and  mis- 
sionary societies;  and  the  Home  Department  visitors,  who 
shall  be  elected  in  the  same  way  as  teachers. 

The  superintendent,  under  the  constitution,  is  nominated 
annually  by  the  Sunday-school  board  and  confirmed  by  the 
quarterly  conference.  The  teachers  are  nominated  by  the 
superintendent  in  consultation  with  the  pastor  and  elected 
by  the  board. 

As  the  superintendent  is  largely  responsible  for  the  school 
administration  he  should  be  given  the  privilege,  subject  to 
confirmation  by  the  Sunday-school  board,  of  nomination  of 
the  other  school  officers,  who  shall  compose  his  cabinet. 

3.  Organization  of  the  small  school.  What  organiza- 
tion is  essential  to  efficiency,  and  possible  of  adoption  by 
any  school,  even  the  smallest  rural  school? 

(1)  A  Cradle  Roll  for  children  up  to  three. 

(2)  A  Children's  Division  for  those  three  to  eleven. 
Where  at  all  possible  this  should  be  subdivided  into  classes 
for  beginners  (three  to  five),  primary  (six  to  eight),  and 
junior  (nine  to  eleven). 

(3)  A  Young  People's  Division  for  those  twelve  to  twenty- 
four.  This  should  be  subdivided  into  an  intermediate  class 
or  classes  (twelve  to  fourteen),  a  senior  class  or  classes 
(fifteen  to  seventeen),  and  a  young  people's  class  or  classes 
(eighteen  to  twenty-four).  The  organization  of  these 
classes  is  recommended. 

(4)  An  Adult  Division  or  classes  for  those  over  twenty- 
four.  This  may  include  a  class  or  classes  especially  for 
parents.     These  classes  should  also  be  organized. 

(5)  A  Home  Department. 

(6)  A  Training  Department  or  class  pursuing  an  ap- 
proved course  of  study  or  one  or  more  workers  taking  a 
correspondence  course  in  teacher  or  officer  training. 

(7)  A  Sunday-school  missionary  organization. 

(8)  A  committee  on  Sunday-school  evangelism. 

(9)  Annual  Promotion  Day,  on  which  pupils  are  pro- 
moted from  department  to  department  according  to  some 
definitely  determined  plan. 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  61 

If  there  is  a  sufficient  number  of  workers,  these  addi- 
tional committees  should  be  appointed: 

(1)  A  committee  on  law  enforcement,  to  keep  alive  a 
wholesome  sentiment  with  reference  to  prohibition  and  its 
enforcement. 

(2)  A  committee  on  special  days,  to  make  the  most  of 
these  school  occasions. 

(3)  A  committee  on  membership,  to  look  after  the  visi- 
tation of  absentees  and  the  enlistment  of  new  members 
for  the  school. 

4.  Organization  of  tlie  larger  school.  The  superin- 
tendent should  secure  from  his  denominational  Sunday- 
school  board  or  from  the  State  or  provincial  Sunday-school 
association  the  standards  of  organization  for  the  school, 
departments,  classes,  and  for  officer  and  teacher  training. 
These  standards  will  give  him  the  general  framework  for 
organization.  Reference  should  be  made  to  the  plan  of 
divisional  and  departmental  organization  in  Chapter  III. 
Decision  must  then  be  made  as  to  the  general  and  special 
objectives  of  the  school.  Upon  the  basis  of  these  considera- 
tions and  the  location  and  size  of  the  school  the  officers, 
helpers,  and  committees  should  be  appointed.  Those  that 
follow  are  suggested  out  of  experience.  The  work  outlined 
under  each  can  be  combined  in  fewer  executives  or  commit- 
tees if  conditions  make  this  necessary.  The  mention  made 
as  to  duties  is  necessarily  brief,  as  the  work  is  more  fully 
outlined  in  the  succeeding  chapters  of  this  book. 

(1)  The  officers. —  (a)  The  pastor. — The  pastor  is  the 
pastor  of  the  Sunday  school  as  well  as  of  the  church  and, 
by  virtue  of  this  relationship,  is  the  official  head  of  the 
school.  He  will  be  at  the  school  session  to  encourage,  help, 
and  supplement,  as  far  as  possible,  the  superintendent's 
labors.  His  counsel  should  be  sought  and,  when  offered, 
should  receive  earnest  consideration.  He  may  occasionally, 
perhaps  regularly,  take  a  class  if  his  strength  and  duties 
will  permit.  His  relation  to  the  school  offers  broad  op- 
portunities of  inspiration.  He  should  be  afforded  free  ac- 
cess to  all  sessions  of  the  school  and  his  presence  always 


62  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

welcomed.  He  will  need  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  the 
teachers,  for  they  are  his  class  leaders.  He  is  responsible 
for  the  character  of  the  educational  and  spiritual  work 
done.  He  may  wish  to  lead  the  workers'  conference  or  a 
leadership-training  class  for  teachers  and  other  leaders  for 
church  and  school.  He  should  see  that  the  pupils  are,  at 
opportune  times,  invited  into  the  church  fellowship. 

(&)  The  superintendent. — He  should  work  in  harmony 
with  the  pastor  and  the  church  committee  on  religious  in- 
struction. Elected  as  the  executive  officer  of  the  school 
and  responsible  for  results,  he  should  be  allowed  the  fullest 
liberty  in  his  plans  and  be  given  the  largest  cooperation  in 
making  his  plans  effective.  His  fourfold  relationship  to 
the  church  and  school,  the  pupil,  the  teacher,  and  the  home 
will  be  presented  fully  in  other  chapters.  His  best  work 
will  consist  in  selecting  and  developing  workers  and  in 
presenting  in  his  life  and  work  the  highest  standard  of 
Christian  living  and  service. 

(c)  Educational  superintendent. — The  service  of  this 
superintendent  will  include  grading,  promotions,  manual, 
memory,  and  training  work.  These  are  related  lines  of 
activity,  and  in  a  school  of  considerable  size  the  fruit  of 
proper  attention  to  this  ofRce  will  be  large.  As  an  educa- 
tional superintendent  his  work  should  be  intimately  related 
to  the  church  committee  of  religious  instruction.  The 
general  work  of  coordinating  the  educational  and  grading 
work  may  be  committed  to  such  a  superintendent.  Through 
such  an  officer  errors  in  grading  can  be  corrected,  the  pro- 
motions can  be  conducted  with  smoothness  and  enthusiasm, 
the  manual  work  can  be  systematically  developed,  and  the 
memory  drills  can  be  made  to  have  interest  and  effective- 
ness. Provision  for  diplomas  for  promotion  and  seals  or 
recognition  for  memory  work,  as  well  as  the  manual  room 
and  parents'  gatherings  for  the  exhibit  of  the  pupils'  work, 
would  fall  under  the  direction  of  such  an  officer.  This  of- 
ficer should  assign  pupils  to  departments  and  classes. 

id)  Department    superintendents. — These    should    be    se- 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  63 

lected  and  nominated  by  the  superintendent.  Wisdom  in 
the  selection  of  department  superintendents  makes  for 
school  success.  Frequent  conferences,  individually  and  col- 
lectively, with  department  superintendents  are  essential  to 
harmony  and  progress.  The  monthly  cabinet  meeting 
should  supply  this  opportunity.  The  superintendent  should 
furnish  the  department  head  with  suggestions  and  stimulus 
through  word,  letter,  clipping,  and  book,  and  with  the  de- 
partmental leaflet  literature  of  the  denomination  or  the 
Stale  or  provincial  Sunday-school  association.  Even  where 
separate  rooms  cannot  be  provided  for  each  department, 
each  department  group  of  classes  is  entitled  to  separate 
supervision  as  to  literature  and  manual  and  memory  work. 
The  graded  lessons  make  such  division  and  supervision 
almost  imperative.  The  department  superintendent  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  full  organization  and  conduct  of  the  de- 
partment as  it  relates  to  teachers,  scholars,  and  homes,  for 
thorough  teaching  and  care  of  absentees  through  teachers 
or  committees.  It  is  his  business  to  develop  department 
efficiency  and  esprit  de  corps  and  to  keep  the  department  in 
step  with  the  best  school  standards,  counseling  frequently 
with  the  superintendent.  Assistant  department  superin- 
tendents are  essential  in  schools  of  large  size,  and  to  these 
specific  work  should  be  assigned. 

(e)  Superintendent  of  teacher  and  officer  training. — 
Where  there  is  an  educational  superintendent,  this  work 
should  come  under  his  care.  Otherwise,  the  best  person 
possible,  a  public-school  teacher  where  available,  should 
be  selected  for  the  task.  This  officer  should  become  in- 
formed as  to  the  standard  courses  of  his  denomination  for 
teacher  and  officer  training.  He  should  promote  a  library 
for  the  collateral  reading  of  the  class,  enlist  young. people 
for  the  classes,  and  supervise  their  training,  practice  work, 
and  examinations.  He  should  also  cooperate  in  enlisting 
present  teachers  and  officers  who  may  not  have  had  the 
advantage  of  a  training  course  in  a  reading  or  corres- 
pondence course  in  teacher  and  officer  training. 


64  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

(/)  Superintendent  of  missionary  instruction. — There  is 
need  for  such  an  officer  to  provide  missionary  plans,  pro- 
gram, literature,  charts,  and  other' material  and  to  make 
missions  a  vital  part  of  the  school  life.  This  officer  may 
be  the  president  of  the  missionary  society  or  chairman  of 
the  missionary  committee,  or  simply  an  officer  working 
under  the  direction  of  such  a  committee  or  society  in  co- 
operation w^ith  the  general  and  the  department  superin- 
tendents. 

(g)  Superintendent  of  memdersJiip. — This  officer  may  be 
the  school  secretary  or  his  assistant,  the  secretary  of  en- 
rollment, or  some  specially  qualified  person  who  will  direct 
plans  for  securing  new  members  and  the  visitation  of  ab- 
sentees. In  some  schools  the  officer  is  designated  as  the 
superintendent  of  absentees  and  extension.  The  big  leak- 
age in  the  Sunday  school  is  largely  because  no  one  officer 
is  giving  the  absentee  consistent  attention.  This  officer 
may  be  the  chairman  of  a  committee,  with  one  representa- 
tive in  each  department  to  secure  prompt  attention  to  the 
absentee  by  teacher  or  committee  through  card,  letter,  or 
visit.  The  best  business  conservation  is  to  cultivate  old 
customers  while  pushing  for  new  buyers. 

(7i)  Assistant  superintendents. — The  number  and  duties 
of  these  are  wholly  dependent  on  the  size  of  the  school  and 
the  work  to  be  done.  They  should  not  be  figureheads.  They 
should  be  made  use  of  if  they  have  ability  upon  the  school 
or  department  platform  for  the  sake  of  their  training  and 
for  variety  in  the  exercises.  One  of  them  should  be  ap- 
pointed as  first  assistant  or  associate  superintendent  to  take 
care  of  the  superintendent's  work  when  he  is  away  and  to 
counsel  closely  with  the  superintendent.  To  each  assistant 
distinctive  duties  should  be  assigned  besides  the  main- 
tenance of  order.  They  may  take  the  chairmanship  of  im- 
portant committees.  One  may  have  special  charge  of  the 
notification  and  assignment  of  substitute  teachers,  another 
of  the  supervision  of  details  of  preparation  for  the  ses- 
sions.    These   assistants   should  be   known   by   the  pupils 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  65 

as  friends,  and  not  as  policemen.  Their  smile  and  welcome 
create  school  atmosphere  and  good  cheer. 

(i)  The  secretary,  treasurer,  and  librarian. — The  duties 
and  opportunities  of  these  officers  will  be  covered  in  a  sub- 
sequent chapter.  Where  the  size  of  the  school  warrants,  a 
secretary  of  enrollment  and  absentees  may  be  provided  to 
care  for  the  enlistment  and  welcome  of  new  pupils  and  all 
subsequent  record  of  the  pupil's  life  in  the  school.  This 
secretary  will  cooperate  closely  with  the  superintendent  of 
membership  and  may  be  himself  that  superintendent. 
Where  there  are  separate  department  rooms,  one  or  more 
secretaries  for  each  department  may  be  required,  and  these 
may,  in  addition  to  their  obvious  duties,  care  for  the  birth- 
day and  welcome  notifications. 

(j)  The  cabi7iet. — In  large  schools  the  officers  of  the 
school,  such  as  the  secretary,  treasurer,  assistant  and  de- 
partment superintendents,  and  chairmen  of  the  standing 
committees,  compose  the  superintendent's  cabinet.  The 
meeting  of  the  cabinet  should  be  regular,  to  consider  ques- 
tions of  school  policy  and  management  and  to  sift  business 
for  the  Sunday-school-board  meeting.  John  Wanamaker 
was  accustomed  to  meet  his  head  workers  each  Sunday 
between  the  hours  of  the  church  service  and  the  afternoon 
Sunday-school  sessions  for  conference  on  important  matters. 
An  annual  social  meeting  of  the  cabinet,  where  purely  man- 
agement questions  shall  be  taken  up,  may  be  in  a  lighter 
vein  and  will  be  found  fruitful  in  welding  together  those 
who  stand  as  leaders. 

(k)  General  utility  superintendent. — In  a  school  of  con- 
siderable size  there  is  call  for  such  an  officer  who  will  be 
ready  for  the  unusual  call  and  task.  He  is  a  gap  filler,  to 
serve  in  case  an  important  officer  is  away,  to  help  in  an 
interdepartmental  way,  to  be  a  school  scout  in  the  visita- 
tion of  other  schools  for  good  ideas,  to  be  all  that  the  name 
implies. 

(0  Installation  of  officers. — The  installation  of  officers 
(and  teachers  as  well)   by  the  pastor  at  a  church  service 


66  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

is  coming  into  vogue  in  well-ordered  schools.  The  service 
can  be  made  very  impressive,  adds  dignity  to  the  important 
work  to  be  accomplished,  and  binds  the  church  and  school 
in  a  proper  relationship.  Sometimes  a  certificate  is  pre- 
sented at  such  a  service,  commissioning  the  officer  for  his 
service  for  the  year.  These  services  are  in  print  and  may 
be  obtained  through  denominational  or  Sunday-school  sup- 
ply houses.  The  Pilgrim  Congregational  Sunday  School  of 
Dorchester,  Massachusetts,  publishes  a  fine  installation 
service  for  officers  and  teachers.  They  should  include  a 
charge  by  the  pastor,  a  pledge  of  service,  and  a  prayer  of 
consecration. 

(2)  The  school  helpers. —  (a)  Chorister. — Under  Chapter 
XI  the  work  of  the  chorister  will  be  taken  up.  If  he  has 
the  talent  for  it,  the  orchestra  may  properly  be  assigned  to 
him  to  build  up  and  to  lead.  The  songs  should  be  selected 
by  superintendent  and  chorister  with  the  thought  of  de- 
veloping and  impressing  the  worship  theme. 

(b)  Piihlicity  man. — The  Sunday  school  is  in  intimate  re- 
lationship to  the  entire  community.  Its  work,  its  stan- 
dards, its  plans  and  events,  should  be  set  forth  in  attractive 
form  regularly  in  newspaper,  card,  placard,  and  circular. 
The  Sunday  school  has  the  largest  proposition  on  earth  to 
present.  It  should  put  its  best  brains  to  the  task.  If  the 
superintendent  has  not  the  advertising  talent,  surely  some- 
one may  be  found  who  has.  Normally  this  should  be  the 
work  of  the  school  secretary;  but,  if  he  has  not  the  adver- 
tising instinct,  a  person  with  the  desired  aptitude  should  be 
found  for  this  important  work.  Such  a  man  should  train 
for  the  work  (see  Sunday  School  OMcers'  Manual,  Chapter 
XXV).  He  should  take  such  periodicals  as  The  Church 
School  (150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City),  which  present 
live  ideas  on  Sunday-school  advertising,  and  should  keep  a 
scrapbook  of  best  methods  for  reference. 

(c)  Doormen,  aides,  and  ushers. — These  are  indispensa- 
ble for  smooth,  efficient  service,  to  protect  the  worship  and 
to  facilitate  the  work  of  the  school.     The  doormen  have  a 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  67 

fine  service  to  render  in  greeting  pupils  and  teachers  as 
they  enter,  introducing  newcomers  and  strangers  to  the 
ushers  or  friendly-grip  or  courtesy  committees,  and  in  keep- 
ing doors  closed  during  worship.  These,  with  the  aides 
and  ushers,  should  be  designated  by  some  badge. 

The  aides  should  be  the  larger  boys  or  young  men,  hav- 
ing regular  duties,  such  as  the  distribution  of  programs,  the 
arrangement  of  platform  and  orchestra  chairs,  the  placing 
of  announcement  boards,  the  taking  of  the  superinten- 
dent's communications  to  officers  and  teachers  before  or 
during  the  sessions,  and  the  ringing  of  signals.  They  should 
be  in  training  for  future  officers.  The  ushers  will  have  to 
do  with  the  seating  of  strangers  and  classes. 

id)  The  stenographer.— ^In  some  important  schools  the 
stenographer  performs  a  helpful  part  in  reaching  sick 
or  absent  pupils  or  teachers  through  the  written  message 
and  in  sending  notices  of  committee  or  other  meetings. 

(3)  Committees. — In  any  well-organized  school  it  is  nec- 
sary  that  much  important  work  be  accomplished  through 
standing  committees.  The  details  of  many  questions  can- 
not be  handled  satisfactorily  by  a  teachers'  board  without 
bearing  too  heavily  upon  the  time  of  the  members.  A  sub- 
division of  labor  makes  for  more  thorough  work  and  in- 
terests a  larger  number.  It  will  always  be  necessary  to 
appoint  special  committees  for  unusual  matters,  but  the 
routine  work  of  the  school  can  be  easily  compassed  by  the 
standing  committees,  who  should  report  regularly  to  the 
teachers'  board  arid  also  make  an  annual  report.  The  num- 
ber of  these  committees  and  the  number  of  members  upon 
each  must  depend  on  the  size  of  the  school,  but  the  work 
for  which  these  which  are  suggested  stand  is  common  or 
should  be  common  to  all  schools  and  should  be  covered 
in  some  form.  The  training  of  these  committees  is  impor- 
tant. Suggestions  for  their  training  may  be  found  in  Sun- 
day School  Officers'  Manual,  Brown.  In  the  departments 
beyond  the  Junior  "young  people  should  have  a  place  on 
some  of  these  committees. 


68  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

The  sums  at  the  disposal  of  each  committee  should  be 
determined  and  included  in  the  budget  of  school  expenses. 

(a)  Committee  on  religious  instruction. — This  is  really 
a  church  committee  on  religious  education,  which  has  to 
do  with  the  entire  plan  of  religious  education  for  the  church. 
It  is  to  plan,  coordinate,  and  supervise  the  educational  work 
of  the  Sunday  school  and  all  other  church  organizations, 
to  prevent  overlapping,  to  guide  the  curriculum  and  expres- 
sional  activities,  and  to  develop  a  well-balanced  program. 
It  will  include  week-day  and  daily  vacation  Bible  schools 
in  its  service.  The  committee  should  plan,  through  a  lead- 
ership-training class,  for  the  selection  and  training  of  lead- 
ers for  these  various  organizations.  It  should  cooperate 
closely  with  the  school  officers  in  providing  adequate  time 
for  the  Sunday-school  session;  in  providing  for  a  Sunday- 
school  anniversary  in  the  church  service  once  a  year  when 
reports  of  school  progress  can  be  made;  in  promoting  a 
house-to-house  visitation  to  increase  Sunday-school  member- 
ship, Bible  study,  and  family  worship  in  the  home;  and  also 
aim  to  make  every  member  of  the  church  a  member  of  some 
department  of  the  Sunday  school. 

(h)  Tlie  friendly-grip  committee. — This  may  be  termed 
the  welcome  committee,  the  visitors*  committee,  the  cour- 
tesy committee,  or  the  strangers'  committee.  Its  specific 
work  is  to  w;elcome  the  stranger  by  handshake,  smile,  and 
word  of  cordial  greeting;  to  see  that  he  finds  a  good  seat 
and  to  show  visitors  to  the  department  or  departments  in 
which  they  may  be  especially  interested;  to  give  any  de- 
sired information,  to  hand  them,  when  desired,  copies  of 
the  school  paper  or  manual,  or  samples  of  school  forms.  In 
a  visitors'  book  the  names,  addresses,  and  position  in  the 
Sunday  school  should  be  recorded,  and  the  next  day  the 
committee  should  mail  a  card  of  welcome  to  the  visitor, 
acknowledging  the  visit  and  inviting  to  membership  or  to 
further  call.  The  follow-up  work  of  the  committee  may 
yield  good  results,  and  with  such  treatment  the  record  may 
be  "once  a  visitor  always  a  friend,"  a  "stranger  but  once." 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  69 

(c)  Supplies  and  -finance  cofamittee. — This  important 
committee  should  arrange  and  present  for  approval  the 
school  budget,  O.K.  requisitions  for  supplies  and  the  bills 
therefor,  cooperate  with  the  secretary  in  providing  for  the 
proper  care  of  supplies,  outline  plans  for  special  offering, 
provide  books  for  treasurer's  accounts,  suggest  forms  for 
such  accounts,  audit  treasurer's  books,  and  in  general  super- 
vise the  financial  end  of  the  school's  work. 

(d)  Committee  on  evangelism. — This  committee  focuses 
the  great  objective  of  the  school.  It  should  keep  in  close 
touch  with  the  superintendent.  The  work  of  Decision  (or 
Acknowledgment)  Day  should  be  its  special  care.  The 
methods,  leaflets,  and  general  literature  for  this  day  should 
be  discussed  by  the  committee  and  the  pastor  and  super- 
intendent, as  well  as  plans  for  decision  week  or  for  any 
special  effort  of  this  nature.  Teachers',  pupils',  and  school 
prayer  meetings  should  be  planned  for.  The  cooperation 
of  the  home  in  spiritual  work,  the  suggestion  of  books  for 
the  teachers'  library  which  are  spiritually  lielpful  and 
which  acquaint  the  teacher  with  the  spiritual  problems 
and  opportunities  of  the  successive  periods  of  child  growth 
will  be  within  the  province  of  such  a  committee. 

(e)  Special-days  committee. — The  plan  in  many  schools 
has  been  to  appoint  a  special  committee  for  each  successive 
special  event.  But  the  talent  that  can  make  interesting 
and  profitable  one  special  day  should  be  put  at  continuous 
service.  Such  a  committee  needs  ample  time  to  look  well 
ahead,  select  or  make  programs,  try  out  music,  plan  decora- 
tions, and  get  the  most  for  the  school  out  of  every  special 
day.  The  growth  of  such  days  in  recent  years  makes  the 
work  of  such  a  committee  highly  important.  Among  the 
days  now  emphasized  are  Rally  Day,  Easter,  Children's  Day, 
Christmas,  Lincoln's  Birthday,  Washington's  Birthday, 
Mothers'  (or  Parents')  Day,  and  Thanksgiving.  In  Chapter 
XXI  we  shall  consider  these  days  in  detail. 

(/)  Social-service  committee. — This  committee  has  a  wide 
scope  of   service.     Its  work   includes  the  survey   of  com- 


70  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

munity  needs  and  planning  social  service  activities  of 
classes,  departments,  and  school,  and  the  outlining  of  a 
well-considered  scheme  of  service  activities.  In  most 
schools  classes  and  departments  act  in  their  benevolent 
plans  without  any  reference  to  each  other  and  to  the 
needs  of  the  church,  community,  and  world.  America  has 
come  to  be  the  point  of  appeal  for  world-wide  human  need, 
now  in  China,  now  in  Europe,  now  in  Armenia,  or  all  at 
once.  Every  school  and  church  should  do  its  full  duty 
for  all  as  well  as  for  the  near-by  needs  of  the  church  com- 
munity and  in  America.  Only  as  this  whole  field  is  studied, 
the  needs  presented,  and  the  work  of  support  assigned  by  a 
competent  committee  can  justice  be  done.  Impulse  is  good, 
but  fairness  and  sanity  are  better.  This  committee  will  deal 
with  the  employment  life  of  the  school,  will  survey  com- 
munity conditions  that  need  remedying,  and  will  of  course 
direct  and  supervise  the  school's  ministry  among  the  poor, 
the  sick,  and  the  shut-ins. 

(g)  The  social  and  recreation  committee. — This  commit- 
tee covers  in  its  work  the  social,  athletic,  and  general  recre- 
ational plans  of  classes,  departments,  and  the  school  as  a 
whole,  including  pupils',  parents',  and  teachers'  socials, 
lectures  and  entertainments,  camping,  gymnasium,  and  out- 
door athletics,  inter-Sunday-school  athletics,  picnics,  hikes, 
indoor  games,  debates,  and  reading  and  game  room.  This 
committee,  in  common  with  all  committees,  should  keep  a 
scrapbook,  with  ideas  and  events.  The  committee  should 
work  out  plans  for  the  year  in  conference  with  those  in- 
terested and  should  post  these  upon  the  bulletin  board  and 
see  that  they  are  otherwise  advertised. 

(7i)  Mcmhersliip  com7nittee. — This  committee  is  to  work 
in  cooperation  with  the  membership  superintendent.  It 
should  have  a  representative  in  each  department.  While 
the  teacher  should  be  primarily  responsible  for  the  visita- 
tion of  absent  pupils,  there  are  many  cases  where,  owing 
to  business  duties,  a  personal  call  by  the  teacher  is  not 
possible.     Just  here  a  committee  is  of  large  service.    Meth- 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  71 

ods  of  outreach  into  the  community  should  have  the  atten- 
tion of  the  committee,  including  plans  for  systematic  visi- 
tation of  school  homes  and  occasional  special  visitation  of 
the  whole  community.  The  committee  should  use  the  pub- 
licity man  for  its  special  membership  campaigns. 

(i)  Missionary  committee. — This  committee  is  to  bring 
the  school  into  intelligent  contact  with  organized  mission- 
ary endeavor  in  the  home  and  foreign  field,  to  direct  the 
school,  department,  and  class  activities  toward  the  great 
home  and  foreign  organizations  of  the  church  and  the  mis- 
sionary activities  of  the  Sunday-school  board  of  the  church. 
Methods  of  missionary  education  and  successful  plans  for 
stimulating  missionary  giving  and  interest  will  be  fully 
presented  in  Chapter  XVIII,  Plans  for  the  successful  ob- 
servance of  missionary  Sunday  are  no  small  part  of  the 
regular  duties  of  this  committee.  Pull  advantage  should 
be  taken  of  the  program  suggestions  for  the  monthly  mis- 
sionary Sunday  and  of  the  use  of  pageantry,  exhibit,  and 
play  in  making  the  appeal  of  missions  more  graphic. 

(;■)  Temperance  and  purity  committee. — We  can  only 
assure  the  fruits  of  the  victory  for  prohibition  in  the 
United  States  as  we  keep  informed  and  vigilant  as  to  the 
efforts  of  evil  forces  to  nullify  the  years  of  diligent  edu- 
cational work  aiming  to  drive  liquor  from  the  land.  This 
school  committee  should  prepare  programs  for  occasional 
presentation  of  the  splendid  results  of  prohibition  in  the 
United  States  and  other  countries.  Leaflet  literature  giv- 
ing data  as  to  prohibition  results  and  progress  should  be 
distributed.  The  school  should  be  lined  up  for  world-wide 
prohibition  as  a  goal.  The  committee  may  include  the 
work  of  purity.     See  Chapter  XIX. 

(/c)  Library  and  exhibit  committee. — The  pupils'  and 
teachers'  library,  the  planning  for  and  supervision  of  the 
reading  and  game  room,  the  preparation  of  and  care  for 
the  manual  and  exhibit  work  of  the  Sunday  school,  will 
come  under  the  duties  of  this  committee. 

U)  Music     committee. — The     committee     can     cooperate 


72  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

with  the  superintendent  in  the  improvement  of  the  regular 
music,  in  arranging  for  solo  and  special  music  for  the  regu- 
lar sessions,  in  stenciling  new  hymns  not  in  the  book,  in 
building  up  the  orchestra,  and  in  planning  for  hymn  board 
and  boxes  for  music  books.  Chapter  XI  will  suggest 
the  possibilities  of  the  development  of  this  committee's 
work.  The  selection  of  the  music  for  the  regular  session 
must  be  with  the  superintendent.  The  committee  should 
cooperate  with  the  special-days  committee  in  connection 
with  the  music  for  those  days. 

(m)  In  general. — Where  the  size  of  the  school  depart- 
ments warrants,  there  may  be  department  committees,  cor- 
responding with  the  school  standing  committees  on  any  par- 
ticular line,  to  carry  out  the  committee  plans  within  any 
department  In  that  event  the  chairman  of  the  department 
committee  would  represent  the  department  as  its  member 
of  the  standing  committee   of  the   school. 

Bibliography 

Tlie  Modern  Sunday  School  and  Its  Present-Day  Task, 
Cope. 

The  Church  School,  Athearn. 

The  Sunday  School  Organized  for  Service,  Lawrance. 

Organizing  the  Smaller  Sunday  School,  Bradner. 

The  Organization  and  Administration  of  the  Sunday 
School,   Cuninggim-North. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  working  organization  of  some  successful  schools. 

2.  School  committees  as  a  factor  in  Sunday-school  success. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  Name  five  important  school  objectives. 

2.  By  whom  should  the  superintendent  be  nominated,  and 
Iby  whom  confirmed? 

3.  Into  what  general  divisions  may  the  Sunday  school 
be  divided? 


THE  SCHOOL  ORGANIZED  73 

4.  Name  the  essential  officers  in  a  fully  organized  school 
of  good  size. 

5.  What  other  chief  helpers  not  officers  would  you  name? 

6.  Name  at  least  five  important  school  standing  commit- 
tees, with  a  brief  description  of  the  work  of  each. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF 

The  officers  and  chairmen  of  whatever  standing  commit- 
tees a  school  may  have  constitute  the  administrative  staff. 
The  selection  and  training  of  his  staff  by  the  superintendent 
is  at  least  of  equal  importance  with  the  selection  and  train- 
ing of  the  teachers.  Much  of  the  success  of  the  school  de- 
pends on  these  leaders,  for  they  in  turn  inspire  and  help 
and  interest  both  teachers  and  pupils. 

We  have  probably  two  million  officers,  including,  of 
course,  department  heads,  in  the  Sunday  schools  of  Amer- 
ica. Very  few  of  these  have  had  any  special  training  for 
their  important  task.  In  the  last  five  years  the  training  of 
Sunday-school  executives  has  been  increasingly  emphasized. 
Textbooks  specializing  upon  the  work  of  these  officers  and 
upon  any  phases  of  the  work  of  administration  have  been 
produced  and  are  available  for  study  and  reading  by  pros- 
pective officers. 

1.  Honv  to  recruit  the  administrative  staff.  There 
are  several  ways  i*n  which  a  superintendent  can  recruit 
his  staff.  He  can  utilize  public-school  teachers,  who  have 
presumably  some  preparation  for  such  service.  He  can  se- 
lect a  few  promising  young  people  and  promote  their  at- 
tendance upon  the  summer  schools  of  religious  education 
held  by  the  denominational  boards  and  such  Sunday-school 
summer-training  schools  for  Readers  as  are  held  at  Lake 
Geneva,  Wisconsin,  and  Lake  Winnepesaukee,  New  Hamp- 
shire, by  the  International  Sunday  School  Association.  Or 
he  can  encourage  these  prospects  to  take  a  correspondence 
training  course  for  officers  through  the  denominational 
Sunday-school  board. 

A  simple  and  practical  method  is  to  promote  a  leadership- 
training  class  in  his  own  school  and  to  invite  to  membership 

74 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  75 

in  that  class  any  who  show  any  aptitude  for  executive  work. 
This  class  can  meet  during  the  Sunday-school  hour  or  on  a 
week-night.  It  is  surprising  how  young  people  will  be  chal- 
lenged by  such  an  opportunity.  There  are  very  many  who 
would  like  to  undertake  the  work  of  leadership  but  hesitate 
because  they  do  not  know  how.  The  leadership-training 
class  solves  that  question. 

Some  years  ago  I  asked  each  class  of  the  Young  People's 
Department  of  my  school  to  designate  one  or  more  of  its 
members  to  be  trained  for  executive  leadership  in  the  school. 
More  than  thirty  young  people  between  eighteen  and 
twenty-four  responded.  Without  breaking  their  relation- 
ship to  their  old  classes  these  were  formed  into  a  class  that 
met  during  the  Sunday-school  hour.  For  three  months  the 
class,  with  notebooks  and  pencils,  took  up  with  their  leader, 
a  public-school  teacher,  twelve  lessons  on  the  Sunday  school 
as  an  institution — its  history,  purposes,  and  plans.  These 
young  people  then  chose  their  line  of  specialization  for  fu- 
ture service.  Some  chose  the  work  of  Sunday-school  sec- 
retary, others  missionary  education,  and  a  dozen  formed 
themselves  into  a  special  social-service  class,  using  The 
Social  Creed  of  the  Churcfies  as  a  textbook  and  making  a 
survey  of  the  neighborhood,  and  these  qualified  for  the 
social-service  committee  of  the  school. 

Specialization  courses  are  now  available  for  practically 
every  officer  of  the  Sunday  school.'  The  chief  joy  and  ad- 
vantage of  it  all  is  that  the  superintendent  need  not  carry 
the  entire  load  of  the  work,  but,  through  the  training  of 
young  people  and  older  people  as  his  helpers,  he  can  multi- 
ply himself  and  train  his  successors  for  service. 

Often  excellent  material  for  future  officers  can  be  found 
in  the  officers  of  the  organized  classes.  One  advantage  here 
is  that  these  have  been  tested  by  a  certain  amount  of  ex- 
perience, and  their  election  indicates  the  opinion  of  a  group 
as  to  their  fitness  for  leadership. 


1  Write   to   your   denominational   Sunday-school    board,    asking   for   infor- 
mation on  specialization  courses  for  administrative  officers. 


76  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

2.  How  to  cultivate  the  staff.  An  Ohio  business  man, 
a  part  owner  in  a  factory  and  a  Sunday-school  superinten- 
dent, applied  the  following  efficiency  test  to  his  school  of- 
ficers, assistants,  and  department  heads: 

(1)    Name (2)    Address (3)    Experience 

in  the  Sunday  school (4)  Health (5)  Willingness 

to  cooperate  with  superintendent (6)    Religious  life 

(7)    Attitude  toward  other  leaders  in  the  school 

(8)   Enthusiasm  for  his  work (9)   Punctual- 
ity       (10)    Regularity (11)    Time   devoted  to 

his  work (12)    Reports (13)    Condition   of 

his    records (14)     Tenure    of    office (15) 

Adapted  to  present  office  or  some  other (16)    Any 

place  in  the  Sunday  school  where  he  would  do  better  work 
(17)   Any  place  where  he  would  be  happier 

The  officers  constitute  the  superintendent's  special  class, 
and  he,  as  their  leader,  should  seek  to  bring  each  member 
up  to  his  best.  He  should  look  to  the  careful  selection  of 
a  library  for  officers,  covering  the  various  departments  and 
lines  of  service,  and  see  that  the  librarian  keeps  these 
books  in  circulation  among  his  subordinates.  He  should 
hold  a  monthly  officers'  conference  or  a  cabinet  meeting,  in 
which  a  chapter  of  a  standard  book  on  Sunday-school  or- 
ganization can  be  read  and  also  discussed.  One  superin- 
tendent met  his  officers  once  a  week  at  a  luncheon  confer- 
ence at  the  chamber  of  commerce.  An  annual  social  get- 
together  of  all  school  officers  and  special  helpers,  aside  from 
teachers,  with  topics  relating  to  the  school  organization, 
will  be  worth  while. 

The  superintendent  should  have  officers'  prayer  meetings 
or  take  a  definite  time  at  the  regular  cabinet  meeting  for 
prayer  for  themselves,  for  teachers,  pupils,  parents,  and 
the  neighborhood,  that  the  spiritual  passion  and  purpose  of 
the  school  shall  be  kept  constantly  at  the  heart  of  the  work. 

He  may  remember  the  officers'  birthdays  by  a  special  let- 
ter, which  shall  be  a  boost  for  the  coming  year.  I  have 
before  me  a  reply  from  one  of  my  officers,  the  school  choris- 
ter, to  whom,  on  his  birthday,  I  had  written  a  word  of  hon- 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  77 

est  praise  for  his  splendid  work  and  told  him  how  big  a 
part  he  was  taking  in  the  school  success;  and  he  says,  "I 
shall  always  keep  and  treasure  your  letter." 

The  superintendent  will  see  that  copies  of  The  Church 
School  are  kept  in  circulation  among  these  officers.  Indeed, 
he  should  see  that  copies  are  subscribed  for  for  each  of 
these  officers.  And  whenever  he  finds  anything  worth  while 
to  enlarge  the  vision  or  skill  of  any  assistant,  he  will  clip  it 
or  suggest  it. 

He  will  send  them*  to  good  schools  to  observe  their  par- 
ticular line  of  work  and  to  garner  ideas  for  themselves  and 
other  officers,  reporting  at  the  next  cabinet  meeting.  He 
will  encourage  their  attendance  at  i3,ny  local  and  State- 
association  institute  for  Sunday-school  officers. 

He  will  promote  initiative,  give  them  definite  jobs,  and 
then  a  full  chance  for  its  execution.  He  will  encourage 
teamwork.  Connie  Mack,  the  baseball  manager,  had  this 
art  in  a  high  degree.  He  made  every  man  feel  he  was  keen 
on  him,  never  scolding  nor  reprimanding  him  in  the  pres- 
ence of  others,  and,  after  a  blunder  had  been  made,  taking 
the  blunderer  aside  and  asking  him  how  he  happened  to 
err,  at  the  same  time  encouraging  him  to  make  good  next 
time.  Instead  of  posing  as  an  instructor  he  would  suggest, 
"Did  you  ever  see  Ty  Cobb  slide?"  And  his  sunny  per- 
sonality created  an  atmosphere  that  made  the  best  team- 
work possible. 

Push  your  officers  and  helpers  forward.  Give  them  a 
chance  at  the  platform  occasionally  and  speak  a  word  of 
honest  commendation  both  privately  and  publicly. 

Don't  expect  every  man  to  be  100-per-cent  good.  We  all 
have  our  strong  and  weak  points.  Make  the  most  of  the 
strong  and  forget  the  others. 

3.  The  staff  in  action.  Under  Chapter  V  the  principal 
duties  of  each  staff  officer  have  been  briefly  suggested. 
In  succeeding  chapters  the  service  of  the  departmental  of- 
ficers, educational  superintendent,  and  other  school  officers 
and  committees  will  be   described.     In  this  chapter  the 


78  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

duties  of  the  school  secretary,  treasurer,  and  librarian  are 
outlined, 

4.  The  secretary.  The  efficient  secretary  is  an  impor- 
tant aid  to  any  superintendent  or  school.  If  he  has  served 
long  and  well,  his  name  should  be  writ  large  on  an  imper- 
ishable roll  of  honor.  He  can  double  the  eflaciency  of  a 
good  superintendent.  By  his  tact  and  enterprise  he  can  be 
a  school  builder  or  by  his  crankiness  he  can  retard  the 
wheels  of  progress. 

It  takes  a  man  of  superior  mold  tO"  stand  graciously  the 
clerical  blunders  and  lack  of  thoughtfulness  of  many  teach- 
ers; and  the  higher  the  secretary's  standard  the  more  oc- 
casion will  he  have  to  exercise  the  grace  of  sublime  patience. 

The  secretary  is  entitled  to  a  separate  room  or  at  least 
to  a  corner  of  the  schoolroom.  A  desk  of  adequate  size  will 
give  him  a  chance  to  keep  his  files  and  papers  under  lock 
and  key.  A  cabinet  for  supplies  and  records  should  be 
furnished  and  as  complete  a  business  outfit  as  can  be  af- 
forded. 

There  may  also  be  opportunity  in  the  large  school  of  train- 
ing young  men  or  young  women  for  service  by  distributing 
parts  of  the  secretarial  work  among  assistants,  such  as  a 
birthday  secretary,  a  membership  secretary  (for  enroll- 
ments and  absentees),  a  statistical  secretary,  and  a  record- 
ing secretary. 

(1)  His  general  duties. —  (a)  Supplies. — Their  ordering, 
record,  and  care.  (&)  The  pupil. — His  enrollment  and  re- 
cording, welcoming  by  letter  or  certificate  or  both;  recording 
his  attendance  and  progress  in  the  school  and  in  church 
membership  and  service,  following  up  the  absentee,  recog- 
nition of  his  attainments  through  school  honors;  his  dis- 
charge through  removal  or  death,  (c)  The  teacher. — Notifi- 
cation of  election;  welcome  to  school  fellowship;  list  of 
pupils  and  addresses,  and  instruction  in  class  duties; 
distribution  and  collection  of  class  records  and  offering 
so  as  not  to  disturb  the  classes;  invitation  to  teachers' 
gatherings;    a  school  record;    keeping  an  "in  memoriam" 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  7» 

list,  (d)  Reports. — Weekly  to  superintendent  and  school, 
showing  attendance,  comparison,  number  absent,  new 
pupils  and  pupils  transferred  to  other  schools;  gain  or 
loss  in  enrollment;  Bibles.  This  may  be  a  blackboard  or 
register  board  record.  Monthly  to  class  and  school,  show- 
ing relative  standing  of  classes  and  indicating  points  of 
encouragement  in  the  progress  of  different  classes.  Quar- 
terly to  the  pupil,  showing  attendance,  offering,  class  rec- 
ord; to  the  parents  of  pupils  below  the  Senior  Department, 
indicating  attendance,  offering,  and  lesson  studying  for 
the  quarter;  to  the  school,  covering  attendance  and  per- 
centage relative  to  the  standing  of  classes.  Yearly  to  pupils 
as  to  the  individual  record,  and  to  the  school  as  to  the  school 
attendance  enrollment,  new  pupils,  cancellations,  and  such 
a  presentation,  showing  methods  and  spirit  of  school 
progress,  as  will  make  it  a  valuable  document,  (e)  Busi- 
ness meetings. — Presentation  of  report  of  school  attendance 
and  progress,  recording  of  minutes,  careful  preservation  of 
committee  and  department  reports.  (/)  Historical  record, 
— This  may  be  in  the  form  of  a  loose-leaf  scrapbook  for 
many  facts  in  school  record,  resume  of  school  progress, 
special  events,  programs,  notable  visitors,  new  plans.  This 
may  be  filed  away  as  an  annual  volume,  {g)  Other  duties. 
— The  record  of  the  church  membership  of  the  pupils  is 
important,  so  that  the  superintendent  and  teacher  may 
know  who  are  and  who  are  not  connected  with  the 
church.  The  Sunday-school  record  of  the  church  members 
should  be  known,  to  follow  up  the  church  members  who 
should  be  in  the  Sunday  school.  He  should  make  a  special 
study  of  plans  of  distribution  and  conservation  of  the  school 
supplies,  particularly  hymnbooks  and  lesson  helps,  and 
make  recommendations  on  these  matters  to  the  cabinet. 
He  can  encourage  the  classes  to  make  monthly  reports  of 
items  of  special  interest  relative  to  their  growth  and  service 
for  report  to  the  superintendent,  school,  and  workers'  con- 
ference. The  visitors  should  be  recorded  in  a  visitors'  regis- 
ter, showing  name,  address,  position  occupied;  and  a  card 


80  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

or  letter  of  recognition  of  visit  sent  by  the  secretary  or 
friendly-grip  committee.  As  editor  of  the  Sunday-school 
paper  or  bulletin  or  reporter  of  school  items  to  the  local 
paper  the  secretary  has  a  special  opportunity  for  good  serv- 
ice. Plans  for  school  advertising  are  indicated  in  Chapter 
XXIV.  His  special  relation  to  pupil,  teacher,  and  the  home 
are  indicated  in  later  chapters. 

(2)  Record  systems. — "Of  the  making  of  many  [record] 
books  there  is  no  end."  There  are  books  many  and  sys- 
tems many  for  the  record  of  the  pupil,  the  class,  and  the 
school  statistics.  A  school  can  devise  its  own  system,  print- 
ing its  books  and  forms  to  suit  local  needs,  or  it  can  look 
•carefully  into  published  plans,  of  which  many  have  special 
■excellencies,  and  adapt  to  the  school  use  the  books  and 
isystems  which  suit  best.  The  following  may  be  suggested 
as  record  essentials: 

(a)  Book  for  weekly,  quarterly,  and  yearly  summary  of 
€lass  and  scliool  statistics,  showing  attendance,  offering 
record  by  departments,  new  and  dismissed  pupils,  Bible 
record,  banner  and  star  classes,  deaths,  visitors. 

(6)  Class  records. — These  may  be  by  class  books  or 
class  cards.  The  ruling  and  marking  of  these  will  follow 
the  plan  determined  upon  by  the  school  for  its  honors,  such 
as  attendance,  "on  time,"  lesson  preparation,  offering,  de- 
portment. Bibles,  and  church  attendance. 

A  plan  with  good  features  is  to  have  an  individual  card 
for  each  pupil's  class  record,  the  teacher  selecting  the  cards 
of  those  present,  marking  and  returning  them  to  the  class 
envelope.  The  cards  remaining  out  represent  the  absentees, 
who  can  thus  receive  immediate  attention  by  the  secretary 
in  such  cases  where  it  is  understood  the  teacher  cannot 
visit. 

Where  the  lesson  study  is  a  point  in  the  marking,  the 
record  should  not  be  made  until  the  close  of  the  lesson. 
Care  should  be  taken  that  the  system  be  not  too  complex. 
Where  most  of  the  marks  are  the  same  from  Sunday  to 
Sunday,  the  marking,  even  if  it  involves  several  details,  can, 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  81 

with  the  help  of  one  of  the  scholars  on  certain  details,  be 
swiftly  done. 

Some  schools  make  it  a  point  to  copy  the  class  record 
into  a  permanent  school  record  in  loose-leaf  form  or  in  a 
class  card-index  form. 

(c)  Card  files. — For  the  pupils'  enrollment  and  other  rec- 
ords the  card  index  is  the  preferred  plan  and  is  widely 
used  in  schools  large  and  small.  It  economizes  space  and 
time  and  is  the  best  for  ready  reference.  Library  bureaus, 
card-index  concerns,  and  large  stationers  can  furnish  these 
card-index  cases.  A  few  special  forms  of  card  indexes  may 
be  described:  Alphabetical  enrollment  index:  This  card 
may  show  the  name,  address,  birthday,  age;  whether  pupil 
or  parents  are  members  of  the  church,  and  relation  of  other 
members  of  the  family;  grade  in  public  school;  a  list  of 
the  school  departments,  to  show  record  of  progress;  date  of 
joining  church;  cancellation  and  reason;  and  remarks.  On 
the  reverse  can  be  given  concretely  the  yearly  record  of 
attendance,  honors,  and  any  notable  fact  worthy  of  record. 
The  teacher's  file  card  should  be  of  different  color.  There 
should  be  one  complete  school  card  index,  but  each  depart- 
ment may  keep  a  card  index  as  well  of  its  own  members 
and  pass  on  its  members  with  these  cards  at  promotion  time. 
Birthday  card  index:  This  provides  for  the  complete  birth- 
day enrollment  of  the  school,  arranged  by  months,  the  dates 
coming  in  regular  order.  This  will  show  the  month  and 
date  and  name  and  address,  department,  class,  whether 
teacher  or  pupil,  and  age  at  joining,  so  that  the  remem- 
brance can  be  fitted  to  the  years.  A  large  school  may  have 
a  separate  card  index  for  each  department,  and  remem- 
brances may  be  sent  out  by  the  department  secretary  or 
superintendent.  The  family  street  index:  This  card  index 
should  indicate,  under  the  family  name  or  street  number, 
the  entire  membership  of  each  school  family,  showing  those 
belonging  to  the  school  and  the  department,  whether  church 
members  and  when  visited,  and  any  leading  facts  that 
would  help  pastor,  superintendent,  or  visitor  as  a  line  of 


82  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

approach.  If  this  index  were  arranged  by  streets,  a  visitor 
could  hunch  calls,  and,  if  a  general  neighborhood  visitation 
were  contemplated,  the  omission  of  numbers  in  any  street 
would  indicate  those  who  were  not  members.  In  mailing 
notices  or  invitations  one  would  find  that  this  index  would 
make  for  economy  of  time  and  money. 

(d)  Serviceahle  forms. — All  the  forms  used  by  the  school 
should  be  represented,  for  reference,  in  a  permanent  form 
scrapbook.  Among  such  forms  may  be  named:  cards  (vis- 
itors', absentee,  pupils'  and  teachers'  enrollment,  cancella- 
tion, vacation  attendance,  transfer  or  promotion,  and  change 
of  address);  letters  (welcome  to  pupil  and  teacher;  birth- 
day; to  parents  concerning  written  work,  examination,  or 
supplemental  work;  for  promotion,  for  merit  work,  rolls 
of  honor,  and  star  classes) ;  forms  of  supplies,  methods  of 
marking  reports  of  teacher  and  secretary,  and  for  general 
use. 

(e)  Using  the  records. — The  school  records  have  their 
value  in  their  wise  use  as  inspiration  and  spurs  to  pupil, 
teacher,  and  superintendent.  They  should  indicate  the 
profit  and  loss  of  the  concern,  as  well  as  points  of  leakage 
and  of  salvage.  The  superintendent  and  his  secretary 
should  together  strive  for  honesty  in  enrollment,  for  an 
attendance  that  shall  steadily  bridge  the  gap  between  it 
and  the  school  enrollment,  for  quality  in  the  work  accom- 
plished, and  for  the  largest  enrollment  that  can  be  ef- 
fectively cared  for. 

5.  The  treasurer's  oiHce.  We  are  passing  into  a  new 
era  of  Sunday-school  giving.  "Hear  the  pennies  dropping" 
has  made  Christ  and  his  church  the  direction  of  the  cheap- 
est coin  in  the  realm  and  has  cheapened  the  child's  estimate 
of  the  church.  The  church  is  awaking  to  the  necessity  of 
beginning  in  the  earliest  years  its  training  in  regular  and 
intelligent  giving.  The  child's  partnership  in  the  carrying 
on  of  church  and  Sunday  school  is  being  emphasized.  Stress 
is  being  laid  upon  the  motive  in  giving  as  well  as  upon  the 
amount. 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  83 

(1)  Steward  ship. — The  principle  of  stewardship,  if  it  is 
to  become  effective  in  the  life  of  the  church  of  to-morrow, 
must  be  emphasized  and  practiced  in  the  Sunday  school  of 
to-day.  "Earn  all  you  can,  give  all  you  can"  was  drilled 
into  the  mind  of  a  Pittsburgh  boy,  and  in  later  years,  as  a 
prosperous  business  man,  H.  J.  Heinz  gave  consistently  and 
largely  and  when  he  died  bequeathed  $400,000  in  his  will 
to  the  Sunday-school  work  of  his  city.  State,  America,  and 
the  world. 

The  school,  through  its  treasurer  and  financial  commit- 
tee, should  keep  steadily  before  pupils  and  teachers, 
through  literature  and  platform,  the  matter  of  stewardship. 
The  duplex-envelope  system,  with  the  use  of  one  side  for 
local  expenses  and  the  other  for  benevolences,  will  help 
this  educational  work.  It  will  also  mean  increased  funds 
for  the  work  of  the  school.  Especially  will  this  be  true  if 
the  school  is  regularly  informed  as  to  just  how  the  money 
is  spent. 

(2)  The  treasurer. — Wherever  possible,  this  should  be 
an  office  separate  from  that  of  the  secretary.  The  office 
involves  some  knowledge  of  accounts,  so  that  the  different 
school  funds  can  be  properly  entered  and  checked  up.  Vouch- 
ers should  be  asked  for  in  all  payments,  and  the  accounts 
audited  annually.  The  funds  should  be  paid  out  on  the  O.K. 
of  the  proper  committee. 

The  treasurer  should  present  weekly,  quarterly,  and  an- 
nual reports.  The  weekly  offering  should  be  posted  on  the 
register  board  or  blackboard.  Treasurers'  registers,  with 
forms  for  reports  and  accounts,  may  be  procured  from 
Sunday-school  supply  houses.  The  treasurer  can  put  vital- 
ity into  the  school's  finances  by  his  suggestions,  plans,  and 
comparisons.  Where  the  pupil's  weekly  envelope  plan  is 
maintained,  his  office  will  be  a  busy  one.  In  that  case  he 
can  employ  an  assistant,  as  school  financial  secretary,  to 
help  in  the  detail  of  the  envelopes  and  their  record.  He 
should  be  a  man  of  tact  and  leniency,  for  he  will  discover 
that  the  average  teacher  is  not  a  bookkeeper,  and  the  of- 


84  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

fering  will  not  always  tally  with  the  amount  indicated. 
He  may  even  turn  his  attention  to  coin  collection  as  a  side 
issue,  for  many  a  quaint  and  curious  coin  will  find  its  way 
to  the  school  coffers.  He  should  be  familiar  with  the  many 
novel  collection  devices  for  the  Sunday  school,  such  as  the 
yard  of  pennies,  the  dollar  bags  used  by  the  Pilgrim  Con- 
gregational Sunday  School  of  Dorchester,  Massachusetts, 
and  have  these  ready  for  suggestion  as  special  need  arises. 
His  will  be  a  valued  service  to  the  school  which  should  not 
be  less  recognized  because  it  is  not  a  spectacular  one. 

(3)  The  scJiooVs  finances. — Inasmuch  as  the  Sunday 
school  is  really  a  part  of  the  church,  and  its  work  is  a 
vital  factor  in  the  success  of  the  church,  the  Sunday  school 
is  entitled  to  the  support  of  the  church.  There  is  no  reason 
why  the  expenses  of  the  Sunday  school  should  not  be  paid 
by  the  church  as  representing  one  branch  of  the  church's 
activity.  Not  a  few  of  our  churches  have  recognized  this 
as  a  principle,  and  in  some  cases  the  Sunday  school  has  been 
thus  supported  for  many  years.  A  great  advantage  of  this 
plan  is  that  it  leaves  the  Sunday  school  free,  through 
holding  before  its  members  for  their  support  the  great 
benevolent  enterprises  of  the  church  instead  of  merely 
asking  them  to  pay  the  running  expenses  of  the  Sunday 
school  itself,  to  educate  its  members  in  giving.  Lack  of  a 
proper  emphasis  upon  the  value  and  importance  of  the 
Sunday  school  as  the  church  school  and  absolutely  vital  to 
church  success  causes  many  churches  to  withhold  financial 
support  from  the  school.  But  this,  we  trust,  will  soon  be 
overcome  by  the  rising  tide  of  interest  throughout  the  coun- 
try and  the  church  in  the  great  work  of  religious  education. 
Even  where  the  church  is  unwilling  to  assume  the  entire 
support  of  the  school,  it  may  be  possible  to  obtain  an  ap- 
propriation toward  the  school's  expenses;  the  school,  on  the 
other  hand,  making  a  contribution  toward  the  church.  This 
plan  will  bind  the  church  and  school  together  in  a  way 
much  to  be  desired.  The  ideal  plan  is  for  the  church  to 
assume  the  entire  support  of  the  Sunday  school  as  a  regu- 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  85 

lar  part  of  its  budget  and  to  have  the  pupils'  offering, 
through  the  duplex  envelope,  go  in  part  to  church  support 
and  in  part  to  missions  and  other  benevolences.  And  these 
benevolent  enterprises  should  be  presented  attractively  to 
the  pupils  as  a  part  of  the  educational  plans  of  the  church 
for  liberal  and  informed  giving. 

In  such  a  plan,  however,  it  is  of  primary  importance  that 
the  Sunday-school  officers  shall  so  present  the  needs  of  the 
school  to  the  church  board  that  generous  provision  shall  be 
made  for  the  enlarged  need  of  the  school  as  compared  with 
a  generation  back.  Many  official  boards  are  composed  in 
good  part  of  those  who,  brought  up  in  Sunday  schools  of  a 
few  decades  ago,  do  not  realize  the  strides  that  have  been 
made,  requiring  enlarged  and  better  equipment  for  the  mod- 
ern Sunday  school. 

(4)  The  school  budget. — ^The  businesslike  method  is  for 
a  school  to  agree,  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year,  upon 
a  budget.  This  budget  should  be  a  matter  of  conference 
with  department  heads  and  committee  chairmen  and  should 
provide  for  a  spending  amount  for  these  departments  and 
committees  as  well  as  for  the  general  school  expenses.  This 
budget  should  then  be  prorated  among  the  departments,  and 
each  department  should  accept  responsibility  to  raise  its 
share  based  upon  pledges  of  the  pupils.  The  Senior,  Young 
People's,  and  Adult  Departments  will  of  course  assume  the 
bulk  of  the  budget.  A  careful  letter  to  parents  of  the  young 
children  will  win  their  cooperation,  especially  where  the 
school  is  not  vending  tickets  for  a  variety  of  causes.  Ex- 
cept for  understood  special  causes  appeals  for  money  should 
be  eliminated.  Let  us  hope  the  day  is  past  when  the  school 
has  to  depend  on  penny  offerings  and  strawberry  festivals 
to  carry  on  its  important  program. 

(5)  Special  offerings. — The  causes  should  be  carefully 
explained,  that  the  giving  may  be  intelligent,  and  special 
envelopes  may  be  distributed  on  the  Sunday  previous  to  the 
date  of  offering.  In  some  cases  the  week  between  may  be 
used  as  a  self-denial  week.     The  special  days  of  the  year. 


86  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

such  as  Easter,  Children's  Day,  Rally  Day,  and  Christmas, 
each  has  its  specially  designated  offering  in  most  Sunday 
schools.     Under  "Special  Days"  these  will  be  considered. 

(6)  Missionary  offering. — This  comes  Avith  many  schools 
as  a  monthly  feature,  sometimes  as  a  quarterly  or  yearly 
offering.  Plans  for  increasing  interest  in  it  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  the  chapter  on  "Missions." 

(7)  The  hirthday  offering. — A  bank  or  box  should  be 
placed  in  each  department  for  this.  It  will  be  helped  if 
with  the  birthday  recognition  in  the  department  a  small 
envelope  is  sent  with  the  birthday  letter,  and  by  informa- 
tion as  to  the  purpose  of  the  fund.  This  fund  should  usually 
be  applied  to  some  benevolence,  such  as  the  support  of  a 
hospital  bed  or  the  support  of  an  orphan  or  a  mission 
student. 

6.  The  librarian's  office.  Admitting  the  entry  of  the 
public  library  a^  "^  the  public-school  library  into  the  field 
formerly  occupie  almost  exclusively  by  the  Sunday-school 
library,  there  still  remains  to  the  Sunday  school  the  special 
field  of  libraries  for  parents  and  workers  and  the  mis- 
sionary library.  There  are  numerous  towns,  villages,  and 
newer  settlements  where  the  Sunday-school  library  occupies 
the  field  alone.  While  the  demand  for  Sunday-school  li- 
braries of  the  old  type  has  practically  ceased,  the  Sunday 
school  is  obligated  either  to  supply  books  of  the  best  charac- 
ter to  its  young  people  or  to  guide  their  taste  by  suggestions 
of  books  in  the  public  library.  In  many  city  schools  there 
is  room  for  a  strong,  limited  library  made  up  of  books  that 
may  not  be  available  in  the  public  library. 

(1)  The  library  committee. — The  librarian  and  educa- 
tional superintendent  should  be  members  of  this  commit-" 
tee.  The  committee  is  to  select  books  and  devise  methods  of 
record  and  of  getting  books  into  circulation.  Any  book  ad- 
mitted to  the  library  should  have  the  written  O.K.  of  at 
least  two  members  of  the  committee  to  the  effect  that  the 
book  has  been  read  and  is  recommended.  Books  should 
be   added   monthly    under   a   school    apportionment.      This 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  87 

will  give  time  for  careful  selection  by  the  committee  and 
will  keep  the  library  regularly  freshened.  The  committee 
should  have  a  representative  on  it  from  each  department 
of  the  school,  and  this  representative  should  be  especially 
charged  with  promoting  the  circulation  of  the  books  for 
teachers  and  pupils  of  the  department.  This  committee 
should  make  up  lists  of  books  in  public  libraries  for  pupils, 
parents,  and  teachers.  The  public  libraries  will  frequently 
be  glad  to  add  books  suggested  by  such  committees  and  in 
some  places  will  box  and  send  to  the  Sunday  school,  for 
use  for  a  period  of  time,  sets  of  selected  books. 

(2)  The  librarian. — The  librarian  should  have  some  taste 
as  to  books  and  should  be  able  to  talk  up  the  books,  so  that 
a  demand  will  be  created  for  them.  As  far  as  possible  he 
should  know  the  pupils'  needs,  so  that  he  may  suggest  the 
right  books,  as  the  title  frequently  is  no  guide.  It  is  no 
small  privilege  to  introduce  young  people  to  books  that  may 
become  their  teachers  and  lifelong  in^' ences  in  shaping 
character  and  ideals.  The  librarian  can  Create  interest  in 
the  library  by  bulletin-board  announcements  of  special 
books,  by  platform  talks  on  such  topics  as  "What  Books 
Influenced  Me  Most,"  "How  Books  Helped  Me,"  and  in  the 
story  of  the  writing  of  some  great  books.  He  should  en- 
courage pupils  to  start  personal  libraries  by  suggesting  a 
one-  or  two-  or  three-foot  book  shelf.  Women  often  make 
excellent  librarians. 

(3)  Tlie  lihrary. — Funds  for  the  library  may  be  provided 
by  an  occasional  special  offering,  or  from  the  birthday  fund, 
or  as  a  regular  monthly  appropriation  from  the  Sunday- 
school  treasury.  A  book  social  may  have  the  double  value 
of  raising  funds  and  acquainting  young  people  with  books 
and  authors.  Young  people  can  dress  in  costumes  suggest^ 
ing  well-known  books  or  authors.  A  chapter  may  be  read 
in  some  good  book.  The  church  may  also  give  a  book 
shower  for  a  workers'  library.  A  list  of  desired  books  may 
be  passed  around  in  the  congregation,  a  check  placed 
against  the  book  to  be  given,  and   the   donor's   name   in- 


88  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

scribed  in  the  book.  To  assist  selection  the  books  should 
be  catalogued  by  school  departments  and  by  classes,  under 
sections  such  as  biography,  history,  missionary.  New  books 
should  be  posted,  with  a  brief  word  of  description,  on  a 
bulletin  board.  Probably  the  simplest  library  system  is  to 
have  a  separate  vertical  compartment  for  each  book  num- 
bered the  same  as  the  book.  Make  out  cards  for  the  pupil 
in  duplicate,  one  to  be  kept  by  the  pupil,  the  other 
placed  in  an  alphabetically  arranged  filing  rack.  When  a 
book  is  desired,  the  librarian  takes  it  from  the  compart- 
ment  and  substitutes  for  it  the  pupil's  card  from  the  alpha- 
betical rack,  marking  on  that  card  the  date  taken.  This 
eliminates  bookkeeping.  A  review  of  the  book  compart- 
ment cards  will  show  the  number  of  weeks  the  book  is  out. 
Usually  two  weeks  is  the  limit  set.  The  library  cases 
should  be  kept  closed  or  effectually  covered  when  not  in 
use. 

.  If  possible,  a  library  room  should  be  provided.  This  may 
be  used  for  books  applicable  to  other  church  organizations. 
This  room  may  be  open  on  certain  evenings,  and  games  and 
magazines  added  for  interest.  On  the  walls  of  such  a  li- 
brary room  should  be  suggestive  mottoes  such  as  "Show 
me  a  family  of  readers  and  I  will  show  you  a  family  of 
leaders"  (Napoleon) ;  "Reading  is  seeing  by  proxy" 
(Spencer);  "A  wise  mother  and  good  books  enabled  me  to 
succeed  in  life"  (Henry  Clay) ;  "A  library  is  not  a  luxury 
but  a  necessity"  (Beecher) ;  "The  be^  university  I  know 
is  a  shelf  of  books"  (Carlyle). 

(4)  Lihrary  contents. — In  addition  to  workers',  parents', 
and  missionary  sections  (referred  to  below)  there  are  many 
wholesome  books  of  biography,  travel,  hero  classics,  his- 
tory, science,  adventure,  and  best  fiction,  which  our  young 
people  will  eagerly  read.  Each  department  of  the  school 
should  have  a  fair  share  in  the  library.  The  school  should 
subscribe  for  some  of  the  best  magazines  and  papers  for 
boys  and  girls.  These  periodicals  could  be  kept  in  the 
reading  room  or  marked  as  the  school  property  and  kept  in 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  89 

circulation  among  the  classes  to  which  they  would  more 
nearly  apply. 

(5)  The  workers'  library. — This  should  be  composed  of 
books  of  reference  to  assist  teachers  in  the  preparation  of 
the  lessons  and  of  books  for  officers  and  teachers  to  broaden 
their  vision  and  increase  their  efficiency  in  service.  Depart- 
ment specialization  should  be  generously  represented  in 
this  library. 

The  cost  of  the  library  may  be  defrayed  by  an  appro- 
priation from  the  school  treasury  or  through  a  monthly 
payment  by  each  teacher  of  five  or  ten  cents. 

The  department  member  of  the  library  committee  should 
have  charge  of  the  specialization  books  for  the  department 
workers  and  see  that  they  are  kept  in  circulation.  An  ex- 
cellent plan  is  to  place  on  the  flyleaf  or  within  the  cover  of 
each  book  the  list  of  the  workers  to  whom  the  book  is  to 
go  and  a  place  for  the  date  when  received.  The  book  may 
be  handed  to  the  one  first  on  the  list  with  the  request  that 
it  be  passed  to  the  next  on  the  list  after  reading. 

Upon  request  of  several  of  the  local  Sunday  schools  the 
public  library  may  be  glad  to  add  to  its  shelves  selected 
books  for  Sunday-school  workers.  A  complete  list  of  the 
teachers'  library,  departmentalized,  should  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  each  officer  and  teacher.  This  list  should  include 
some  brief  devotional  books  by  such  authors  as  Speer,  Mott, 
and  Gordon. 

In  introducing  certain  books  to  the  attention  of  workers 
a  good  plan  is  to  have  it  read  by  a  teacher  or  officer  and 
then  reviewed  at  the  monthly  workers'  conference;  or  a 
teacher's  problem  can  be  suggested  at  the  workers'  con- 
ference, and  the  following  month  the  answer  given  from 
some  book  by  a  teacher  to  whom  the  problem  has  been  as- 
signed. 

(6)  The  missionary  library. — This  will  receive  special 
attention  in  Chapter  XVIII. 

(7)  Parents'  library. — There  is  distinct  need  of  books  in 
the  Sunday-school  library  for  parents  and  members  of  the 


90  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Home  Department,  books  of  general  interest,  of  mission- 
ary life,  and  those  dealing  with  parents'  problems  in  the 
training  of  children,  books  to  be  read  to  children, 
magazines  for  the  home — such  as:  The  Mother  Artist, 
Mills;  The  Child's  Religious  Life,  Koons;  What  Shall  I  Tell 
the  Children?  Reichel;  Nursery  Ethics,  Winterburn;  The 
Parent  and  the  Child,  Cope;  The  Unfolding  Life,  Lamoreaux; 
and  Child  Nature  and  Child  Nurture,  St.  John.  Where 
there  is  a  monthlj'-  social  or  other  gathering  of  the  parents 
of  the  school  or  a  parents'  or  mothers'  association,  these 
books  can  be  spoken  of  and  circulated.  The  money  for  this 
library  might  be  easily  contributed  by  the  mothers,  who 
should  have  a  list  of  the  books  for  proper  selection.  Such 
a  list  should  be  classified  according  to  the  interest  of  the 
parents  in  younger  or  older  children  or  young  people,  for 
the  problems  differ  radically. 

Bibliography 

Sunday  School  Officers'  Manual,  Brown. 
The  Sunday  School  Secretary,  McEntire. 
Church  Finance,  Agar. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  Methods  of  stimulating  the  offering. 

2.  Ways  of  cooperation  between  the  Sunday  school  and 
the  public  library. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  How  can  a  superintendent  train  his  staff? 

2.  State  methods  of  promoting  teamwork  among  his  staff. 

3.  What  are  some  of  the  specific  duties  of  the  Sunday- 
school  secretary? 

4.  What  business  plan  of  indexes  and  records  is  coming 
into  favor? 

5.  How   can  the   records   serve   to    stimulate   the    school 
work? 

6.  What  should  a  gift  really  represent? 


THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  STAFF  91 

7.  What  method  has  stimulated  Sunday-school  giving  in 
many  schools? 

8.  How  should  the  school  be  supported? 

9.  What  three  classes  of  books  should  be  specialized  in 
Sunday-school  libraries  of  to-day? 

10.  How  can  the  aid  of  the  public  library  be  obtained  for 
the  Sunday  school? 


CHAPTER  VII 
DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT 

Among  the  reasons  for  department  organization  are: 
(1)  to  adapt  the  expressional  and  teaching  methods  and  ma- 
terial to  the  mental,  physical,  and  spiritual  capacities  of 
the  pupils;  (2)  to  associate  pupils  of  the  same  age  and  like 
mental  development,  so  that  they  shall  be  companionable 
and  may  progress  together  from  grade  to  grade  and  de- 
partment to  department;  (3)  to  associate  teachers  who  will 
be  dealing  with  the  same  problems  as  to  pupils  and  teach- 
ing; (4)  to  foster  a  larger  school  interest  by  promoting  a 
strong  department  spirit  through  such  means  as  department 
standard,  motto,  button,  and  a  friendly  rivalry  with  other 
departments  as  to  attendance  and  work;  (5)  to  bring  the 
parents  into  closer  touch  with  the  school  through  the  de- 
partment parents'  social  and  other  gatherings. 

In  many  of  our  schools  it  seems  necessary  for  the  pres- 
ent, owing  to  the  structure  of  the  building,  to  maintain  an 
assembly  of  the  entire  school,  with  the  exception  of  the  be- 
ginners' and  primary  groups,  for  the  service  of  worship. 
Even  in  such  schools  it  is  urged  that  there  be  department 
organization,  supervision,  and  recognition,  and  the  promo- 
tion of  department  ideals  within  the  limits  imposed.  It  is 
urged,  of  course,  that  every  school  aim  for  the  ideal  of  a 
separate  room  for  each  departmental  group.  "Where  this  is 
impracticable,  provision  should  be  mkde  for  separate  rooms 
for  the  beginners'  and  primary  groups,  or,  at  worst,  one 
room  in  which  both  can  assemble.  If  there  are  but  two 
rooms  in  all,  the  juniors  should  assemble  with  the  rest  of 
the  school.  Where  three  rooms  are  possible,  give  the  sec- 
ond room  to  the  juniors  and  combine  the  intermediate, 
senior,  young  people's,  and  adult  classes  in  a  general  as- 
sembly, 

92 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT         93 

In  any  event  it  is  important  that  pupils  of  the  same  age 
be  kept  in  the  same  class,  and  that  mixed  classes  be  avoided 
in  the  JunicTr,  Intermediate,  and  Senior  Departments. 

The  problems  of  the  country  and  village  school  will  re- 
ceive attention  in  a  special  chapter;  but  in  these  schools  it 
is  possible  in  the  average  case  to  constitute  one  class  each 
for  the  primary,  junior,  intermediate,  senior,  young  people's, 
and  adult  ages,  and  possibly  a  beginners'  and  a  teacher- 
training  class,  so  that  in  principle  and  actually  the  school 
will  be  departmentalized;  and  in  lesson  materials,  in 
manual  and  supplemental  work,  and  in  promotions  this 
department  distinction  can  be  recognized. 

The  separation  of  departments  by  curtairs  or  screens,  as 
indicated  in  previous  chapters,  is  to  be  suggested  where 
more  complete  separation  is  not  practicable. 

The  standard  training  courses  of  the  denominations  and 
the  International  Sunday  School  Association  are  especially 
designed  to  prepare  teachers  as  department  workers 
through  the  specialization  books  written  by  experts  in  de- 
partment organization   and  work. 

The  number  of  department  officers  and  helpers  will  of 
course  depend  on  the  size  of  the  department.  The  depart- 
ment superintendent,  one  or  more  assistants,  musician,  and 
secretary  constitute  the  usual  staff.  In  the  small  schools 
the  department  superintendent  may  teach  the  lesson  as 
well  as  manage  department  details,  particularly  in  the 
Children's  Division.- 

Department  standing  committees  should  correspond  with 
the  standing  committees  of  the  school  where  there  are  suf- 
ficient workers  to  make  such  organization  desirable. 

In  the  smaller  school  the  general  superintendent  will 
have  to  plan  for  the  interclass  or  interdepartment  activities. 
Where  there  are  divisional  superintendents  for  the  Chil- 
dren's, Young  People's,  and  Adult  Divisions,  as  may  be  the 
case  in  large  schools,  those  superintendents,  in  cooperation 
with  the  department  superintendents,  can  plan  for  such  in- 
terdepartment affairs  as  Children's  Week  for  the  Children's 


94  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Division,  father-and-son  and  mother-and-daughter  banquets 
for  the  Young  People's  Division,  and  a  family  altar  or  a 
drive  to  enlist  every  parent  and  adult  in  the  home  in  some 
department  of  the  school  for  the  Adult  Division. 

Departmental  workers'  conferences  will  be  considered  in 
connection  with  the  chapter  on  that  subject. 

The  departments  treated  are  the  Cradle  Roll,  Beginners', 
Primary,  Junior,  Intermediate,  Senior,  Young  People's, 
Adult   (including  Parents),  Home,  and  Teacher  Training. 

1.  Cradle  Roll  Department.  (1)  How  to  start. — 
(a)  Elect  a  superintendent  who  can  give  time  to  visitation 
and  who  will  work  in  close  relation  to  the  superintendent 
or  teacher  of  the  Beginners'  and  Primary  Departments. 
(?))  Obtain  from  your  denominational  publishing  house  the 
needed  Cradle  Roll  supplies,  including  application,  enroll- 
ment cards,  birthday  cards,  membership  certificates,  pro- 
motion certificates,  birthday  book,  and  cradle  roll.  (c) 
Advertise  a  campaign  for  Cradle  Roll  members.  Give  out 
enrollment  cards  to  younger  children  to  enroll  baby  brother 
or  sister,  (d)  Get  your  pastor  to  speak  of  the  plan  in 
church  services  and  to  carry  enrollment  cards  on  his  calls, 
(e)  Have  a  house-to-house  Cradle  Roll  canvass.  (/)  Enroll 
every  baptized  baby  on  the  roll. 

(2)  Recognition  of  mem'bers. —  (a)  Present  an  attractive 
Cradle  Roll  Certificate  of  membership  to  the  mother.  (&) 
Write  the  name  of  every  new  baby  upon  a  card  and  place 
it  in  a  toy  cradle,  the  children  repeating  a  brief  welcome  to 
the  new  member. 

(3)  Plans  to  promote  interest. —  (a)  Enroll  the  baby's 
name  upon  a  Cradle  Roll  chart  to  be  hung  in  some  con- 
spicuous place  in  the  beginners'  or  primary  room.  (&) 
Ask  the  mother  for  baby's  picture  and  place  it  with  other 
pictures  in  a  frame  to  be  hung  upon  the  wall,  (c)  Keep  a 
"Heavenly  Cradle  Roll"  for  names  of  babies  who  have  died, 
(d)  Have  prayer  offered  for  babies  and  parents  in  opening 
services  of  beginners'  and  primary  classes  or  in  the  open- 
ing service  of  the  Cradle  Roll  class  of  older  Cradle  Roll 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT         95 

members,  (e)  Recognize  baby's  birthday  by  a  birthday 
card  or  letter  to  parents  or  some  simple  gift,  (/)  Suggest 
to  parents  a  birthday  offering  for  a  fund  in  support  of  a 
child's  bed  in  a  hospital,  (g)  Visit  the  home  when  a  baby 
is  sick  or  has  died,  (h)  Distribute  mothers'  or  home  papers 
or  magazines  during  calls,  (i)  Get  your  pastor  to  call  upon 
Cradle  Roll  parents.  (One  pastor  received  three  hundred 
church  members  in  one  year  from  such  calls.)  (;)  Have 
an  occasional  birthday  party  for  the  babies  and  mothers. 
(k)  Invite  mothers  to  special  school  occasions.  On  Christ- 
mas have  a  special  Cradle  Roll  tree  and  party,  (l)  If  the 
school  should  have  any  outdoor  procession,  have  mothers 
of  Cradle  Roll  babies  trim  their  gocarts  or  carriages  with 
flowers,  flags,  and  bunting,  (m)  Present  a  certificate  of 
promotion  when  baby  advances  to  the  Beginners'  Depart- 
ment, (qi)  Form  a  class  of  Cradle  Roll  children  when 
they  reach  two  or  three  years  of  age.  These  babies  can  sit 
on  low  chairs  about  a  low  table  and  be  kept  happily  in- 
terested by  song,  exercises,  and  stories,  and  with  crayon 
and  paste  and  pictures  can  fill  out  some  lesson  design  that 
will  carry  home  some  simple  truth,  (o)  Form  a  class  of 
Cradle  Roll  mothers  to  be  taught  a  lesson  while  the  little 
children  are  in  session.  Promote  the  mothers'  class  when 
children  are  promoted  and  start  a  new  mothers'  class,  (p) 
Ask  mothers  to  present  as  gifts  to  the  beginners'  or  primary 
rooms,  where  there  is  not  a  Cradle  Roll  room,  copies  of  such 
great  subjects  as  the  "Sistine  Madonna"  or  Raphael's  "Ma- 
donna of  the  Chair."  (q)  Secure,  if  possible,  a  separate 
classroom  for  the  Cradle  Roll  class  and  its  mothers,  (r) 
Cooperate  with  the  superintendents  of  the  Beginners'  and 
Primary  Departments  in  forming  a  mothers'  or  parents' 
association,  with  a  monthly  meeting  for  social  and  edu- 
cational purposes,  (s)  Drive  annually  for  new  members 
during  Children's  Week,  on  Baby  Sunday,  or  on  Children's 
Day. 

(4)  Equipment  of  Cradle  Roll  room. — Gradually  schools 
will  provide  for  a  Cradle  Roll  classroom  for  the  older  mem- 


96  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

bers  of  the  Cradle  Roll  and  their  mothers.  When  that 
happy  day  comes  to  any  Cradle  Roll  superintendent,  the 
pictures  and  other  appliances  suggested  above  will  be 
transferred  to  such  a  room.  In  addition  there  should  be  a 
sand  table,  a  play  table,  a  cabinet  for  equipment,  material 
for  object  lessons,  kindergarten  blocks,  beads,  peg  boards, 
colored  cards,  and  muslin  books  for  pasting  pictures.  In 
one  Cradle  Roll  class,  in  the  First  Baptist  Sunday  School 
of  Kansas  City,  the  superintendent  taught  the  lesson  of 
Christ  and  the  draft  of  fishes  with  a  real  net,  tiny  boats, 
and  little  fish  to  make  it  realistic.  Toy  fish  would  do  just 
as  well,  of  course.  Little  souvenirs  of  the  lesson  are  taken 
home  by  the  children. 

2.  The  Beginners'  Department.  (1)  Age  and  lessons. 
— The  Beginners'  Department  is  for  those  under  six  and 
over  three  years  of  age.  Two  years  of  department  graded 
lessons  are  provided  for  the  beginners.  The  four-year-old 
lessons  can  first  be  taught  in  the  beginners'  class  or  classes 
one  year,  and  the  five-year-old  lessons  the  next.  These  les- 
sons are  beautifully  illustrated  with  large,  uncolored  pic- 
tures for  class  use,  and  with  smaller  copies  for  the  use  of 
the  pupils. 

(2)  Room  and  equwment. — Aim  for  a  separate  room  for 
the  beginners,  with  plenty  of  sunshine  and  air,  and  with 
room  enough  for  marching  and  equipment.  Decorate  in 
soft  shades  of  green  or  tan,  with  darker  woodwork  of  green 
and  brown.  These  are  best  from  point  of  softness  and  light- 
ing. A  carpet,  or  linoleum,  should  be  dull  brown  or 
green.  Have  low  tables  and  chairs  rubber  tipped.  Deco- 
rate the  walls  with  grouped  pictures  of  the  children  fur- 
nished by  parents  and  with  copies  of  the  masters,  such  as 
"The  Boy  Samuel"  and  "The  Age  of  Innocence"  (Reynolds), 
"Nativity"  (Mueller),  "The  Christ  Child"  and  "The  Divine 
Shepherd"  (Murillo),  "The  Announcement  to  the  Shep- 
herds" (Hofmann),  "The  Arrival  of  the  Shepherds"  (Le 
Rolle),  "The  Lost  Sheep"  (Shourd),  "A  Little  Child  Shall 
Lead  Them"    (Strutt),  "Jesus  Blessing  Children"    (Plock- 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT         97 

horst),  "Christ  Child"  (Sinkel),  "The  Holy  Night"  (Cor- 
reggio).  There  should  be  a  cupboard,  or  cabinet,  for  sup- 
plies; hooks  for  children's  wraps,  low  hooks  or  zinc  boxes 
for  rubbers,  sand  table,  blackboard,  mounting  or  folding 
paper  in  all  colors,  growing  plants,  and  vases  for  berry 
leaves  and  flowers. 

Where  a  separate  room  for  the  department  is  not  possible 
in  the  church,  one  may  possibly  be  provided  in  the  parson- 
age. If  that  is  not  feasible,  use  a  corner  of  the  primary 
room  or  a  room  screened  by  curtains  or  blackboard.  It 
may  be  necessary  in  that  event  to  meet  with  the  primary 
children  for  the  service  of  worship  and  to  separate  for 
the  lesson  teaching.  In  summer,  if  possible,  meet  out-of- 
doors  under  a  tree  or  tent. 

(3)  Officers.  —  A  beginners'  superintendent  or  class 
teacher,  with  assistant,  should  be  appointed;  and  where 
the  department  is  of  sufficient  size,  a  secretary  and  mu- 
sician should  be  added.  These  officers  sliouM  love  children 
and  be  personally  attractive. 

(4)  Mothers'  cZass.— Organize  the  mothers  who  come  fre- 
quently with  the  younger  children  into  a  beginners'  moth- 
ers' class,  to  be  taught  the  lesson,  at  some  point  in  the  ex- 
ercises, in  a  corner  of  the  beginners'  room  or  in  a  separate 
place.  This  mothers'  class  should  go  forward  as  a  primary 
mothers'  class  when  the  children  are  promoted.  This  class, 
together  with  the  Cradle  Roll  mothers'  class,  and  the  moth- 
ers generally  of  these  three  departments  should  be  organ- 
ized, with  the  teachers,  into  a  parent-teacher  association.  A 
monthly  meeting,  with  program,  should  be  held.  A  moth- 
ers' library  should  be  an  adjunct  of  such  an  organization. 
Frequently  these  young  mothers  have  been  pupils  or  teach- 
ers in  the  school  and  can  be  drawn  upon  by  the  superin- 
tendent as  teachers  and  helpers. 

(5)  Programs. — Full  programs  for  Children's  Division 
departments  are  furnished  in  specialization  books  for  teach- 
ers, in  the  denominational  journals,  in  The  Church  School. 
and  in  the  departmental  leaflet  literature  of  the  denomina- 


98  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

tions.  In  other  chapters  of  this  book  special  suggestions 
are  made  for  departmental  workers. 

(6)  Promotio7i. — On  the  annual  promotion  day  have  the 
class  recite  the  memory  tests  and  class  hymn  and  present 
each  pupil  with  a  promotion  certificate. 

3.  The  Primary  Department.  (1)  Organization. — 
This  depaftment  is  for  pupils  of  six,  seven,  and  eight  years. 
Normally  there  should  be  at  least  three  classes,  using  the 
International  Graded  Lessons.  In  small  schools,  with  the 
use  of  the  group  lessons,  the  same  lesson  can  be  taught  to 
the  entire  department  by  the  superintendent.  The  uniform 
lessons  should  be  displaced  by  the  newer  group  or  closely 
graded  lessons. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  body  and  brain  of  the  child  from 
six  to  eight  and  the  sensitiveness  to  impression  make  neces- 
sary special  exercises  and  the  right  equipment  to  meet  the 
growing  needs.  The  assistants  or  teachers  should  look 
after  the  groups  of  children  as  to  seating  order,  visitation, 
and  supplemental  lessons;  and  the  secretary,  in  addition  to 
keeping  the  usual  records,  should  remember  the  pupils  on 
their  birthdays. 

(2)  Equipment.  —  The  primary  class  or  department 
should,  if  possible,  be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  school 
by  soundproof  walls.  If  this  is  not  possible,  partition,  cur- 
tain, or  screen  may  be  used.  Small  chairs,  twelve  to  six- 
teen inches  high,  should  be  procured,  or  stools  on  which 
they  can  rest  their  feet  if  obliged  to  be  seated  in  regular 
chairs  or  pews.  Class  tables  should  be  used,  with  basket 
for  offering,  and  box  for  crayons,  pencils,  and  other  supplies. 
Both  chairs  and  the  folding  tables  should  be  rubber-tipped. 

Bright,  airy,  well-toned  surroundings  should  be  arranged, 
the  walls  in  brown  or  tan  and  other  colors,  and  fittings  to 
match.  The  brown  makes  a  good  background  for  birthday 
calendars,  lesson  pictures,  and  seasonal  decorations.  There 
should  be  a  screen  at  the  door,  so  the  children  will  not  be 
disturbed  by  late  comers  or  visitors.  The  visitors  should 
be  accommodated  on  a  special  settee  or  chairs  out  of  range 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT         99 

of  the  children's  eyes.  There  should  be  a  cabinet  for  ma- 
terials and  for  missionary  curios  and  object  lessons.  Grow- 
ing plants  and  nature  material  are  desirable.  There  should 
be  a  piano  (in  preference  to  an  organ),  a  sandboard,  and  a 
blackboard. 

(3)  Progrmn. — Unless  there  is  only  one  room  for  the  en- 
tire school,  the  Primary  Department  should  hold  its  service 
of  worship  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  school.  There  is  no 
gain  but  a  positive  loss  to  the  little  folks  and  their  teachers 
in  obliging  them  to  sit  or  wriggle  through  exercises  that 
can  at  the  best  have  but  little  meaning  for  them.  If  they 
are  obliged  to  meet  with  others,  the  prayers  and  exercises, 
should  be  short,  and  the  primary  children  should  be  given 
a  little  part  in  the  program. 

It  is  recognized  that  at  the  primary  age  foundations  are 
being  laid,  through  program  and  teaching,  for  all  of  life. 
What  is  later  to  appear  in  character  and  service  must  have 
its  beginning  here.  Worship,  praise,  prayer,  giving,  service, 
missions,  duties  to  father  and  mother,  duties  to  others,  all 
must  have  a  place.  Therefore,  the  program  and  lessons 
must  include  this  material:  the  primary  plan  book,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  primary  teachers'  textbook.  Special  programs 
are  often  suggested  in  The  Church  School  and  in  The  Ele- 
mentary Teacher  and  other  elementary  periodicals. 

There  are  many  excellent  special  songbooks  for  the  pri- 
mary worker.  In  addition  good  songs  should  be  clipped 
and  used,  and  the  words  should  be  stenciled  on  muslin  and 
hung  on  shade  rollers.  The  meaning  and  the  words  of 
songs  should  be  made  clear  to  these  immature  minds;  other- 
wise, there  will  be  many  strange  and  ludicrous  results. 

It  is  of  utmost  importance  that  the  supplemental  or  drill 
material  of  special  texts  and  hymns  to  be  memorized  should 
be  well  taught.  These  are  a  part  of  the  teaching  material 
found  in  the  graded  lessons.  Care  should  be  taken  to  ex- 
plain the  purpose  of  giving.  Reverence  should  be  culti- 
vated. Birthday  recognition,  on  the  Sunday  nearest  the 
birthday,  is  advisable.     The  welcome  to  the  new  pupil  can 


100  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

be  made  attractive  if  the  new  pupil  and  the  one  who  has 
brought  him  in  stand  side  by  side  upon  the  platform,  the 
introduction  made,  the  welcome  song  sung,  and  the  depart- 
ment or  school  pin  fastened  on  the  coat  of  the  new  member 
by  the  one  who  brought  him  in.  This  is  the  right  sort  of 
atmosphering. 

(4)  Week-day  activities. — The  lesson  teaching  should 
have  practical '  expression  in  week-day  loving  service  for 
others,  and  through  some  home  work  on  the  lesson.  The 
latter  should  be  brought  in  on  the  Sunday  following  the 
lesson,  and  special  credit  given.  The  class  or  department 
should  have  a  special  benevolent  objective,  such  as  the  help 
of  a  nursery,  the  support  of  a  child's  bed  in  a  hospital,  the 
support  of  an  orphan  on  the  home  or  foreign  field,  the  mak 
ing  of  picture  scrapbooks  for  sick  children.  "Others" 
should  be  the  motto  to  correct  the  tendency  to  selfishness 
at  this  age. 

4.  The  Junior  Department.  (1)  Organization. — The 
juniors  are  children  nine  to  eleven  years  inclusive.  For- 
merly the  junior  period  was  considered  as  including  the 
years  nine  to  twelve;  but  the  new  plan,  recommended  by 
several  denominations,  is  to  organize  the  succeeding  Inter- 
mediate Department  on  the  plan  of  the  junior  high  school — 
ages  twelve  to  fourteen. 

Ability  to  read  the  Bible  easily  is  the  usual  test  for  en- 
trance into  the  Junior  Department.  The  Bible  may  be  given 
to  the  pupil  by  the  Primary  Department  as  a  gift  or  reward 
for  verse  and  hymn  memorization.  Earlier  the  suggestion 
has  been  made  of  a  separate  room  for  the  juniors.  In  the 
smallest  school  there  should  be  at  least  one  class  of  girls 
and  one  of  boys  of  tliis  age.  In  larger  departments  it  is 
well  to  have  the  classes,  six  to  eight  to  the  class,  grouped 
according  to  age  for  nine-,  ten-,  and  eleven-year-olds.  Some 
junior  assembly  rooms  provide,  by  partitions,  for  three  sub- 
divisions of  the  room  for  the  three  age  groups,  the  graded 
lessons  being  taught  to  these  groups. 

Boys  and  girls  of  these  years  have  more  or  less  of  the 


DEPARTMEJSIT   MANAGE.MEXT  101 

gang  or  club  spirit,  and  a  simple  form  of  class  organiza- 
tion works  well.  There  may  be  a  class  president,  secretary, 
and  treasurer,  each  elected  for  a  three-  to  six-month  term. 
Absentees  can  be  visited  by  these  officers.  At  this  age  pu- 
pils like  to  receive  credits  for  church  attendance,  bringing 
their  Bible  and  home  work. 

(2)  Equipment. — A  good  department  equipment  will  in- 
clude maps,  blackboards,  class  tables  for  handwork,  and 
place  for  songbooks,  birthday  cards,  welcome  letters,  de- 
partment or  school  buttons;  cabinet,  with  missionary  cu- 
rios, models  of  the  Holy  Land  and  Oriental  house,  taber- 
nacle, sheepfold,  scroll,  well,  missionary  books,  stereopti- 
con;  and  motion-picture  outfit  for  missionary,  social-wel- 
fare, and  other  educational  materials,  including  illustrated 
gospel  and  national  songs,  flags  of  the  principal  nations,  pic- 
tures of  national  and  missionary  heroes;  and  department 
motto.    A  good  junior  motto  is  "Be  ye  doers  of  the  Word." 

(3)  Program. — The  law  of  the  junior  pupil's  life  is  ac- 
tion, and  the  program  must  be  characterized  by  animation 
in  speech  and  song.  These  are  habit-forming  years,  and 
punctuality  and  reverence  must  be  insisted  on.  The  super- 
intendent should  know  what  he  is  to  do  next,  and  awkward 
pauses  between  parts  of  the  program  should  be  avoided. 
Variety  in  exercises,  brevity  in  prayer,  music  of  a  martial 
sort,  are  needed  in  this  department.  It  is  ^vell  to  place  the 
lesson  in  the  latter  part  of  the  program,  so  that  dismissal 
will  follow  the  lesson  after  the  closing  prayer  and  hymn. 

(4)  Manual  work. — The  junior  age  is  one  of  expression 
through  hands,  speech,  and  feet.  These  boys  and  girls  are 
glad  for  a  chance  to  use  their  hands  in  making  maps  in 
sand  and  paper  pulp  and  in  fashioning  models  illustrating 
life  in  Palestine.  They  like  to  decorate  narrative  Bible 
stories  with  pictures,  pen,  and  crayon.  In  Handwork  in 
the  Sunday  School,  Littlefield,  the  method  of  doing  this  is 
shown.  A  room  to  which  pupils  can  be  taken  for  this  work 
is  of  great  service.  For  the  juniors  this  expressJonal  Avork 
should  take  the  form  of  maps  of  Palestine  in  ti3e  time  of 


102  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Jesus,  the  journeys  of  Saint  Paul,  a  missionary  map  of  the 
world  with  stars  for  the  denominational  stations,  the  taber- 
nacle with  models  of  the  altar  and  the  other  furniture, 
models  of  Oriental  houses,  wells,  etc.  The  educational 
superintendent  of  the  school  should  direct  this  work.  It 
should  compose  part  of  the  annual  exhibit  for  parents' 
inspection. 

(5)  Correlated  and  drill  work. — The  junior  period  is  pre- 
eminently the  memory  age.  The  correlated  memory  work 
indicated  in  the  graded-lesson  textbooks  should  be  used. 
In  the  general  session  some  class  may  be  asked  to  recite 
the  memory  hymn  for  the  period,  another  class  the  memory 
texts.  The  books  of  the  Bible,  divisions,  etc.,  should  be 
made  a  part  of  this  drill,  and  previous  memory  work  re- 
viewed. Five  to  seven  minutes  might  be  taken  each  Sun- 
day with  this  drill.  It  should  include  Bible  marking  of 
pivotal  chapters,  passages,  and  texts,  as  suggested  in  Chap- 
ter X.  Such  hymns  as  "All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus'  Name," 
"My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee,"  and  "From  Greenland's  Icy 
Mountains"  should  be  memorized  in  this  department.  "Where 
the  new  group  lessons  are  used,  some  effective  drill  work 
may  be  done  with  the  department  as  a  whole. 

(6)  Spiritual  growth. — We  should  look  for  a  definite  spirit- 
ual awakening  between  ten  and  twelve  years.  The  junior 
superintendent  and  teacher  should  watch  carefully  for  an 
interest  in  God's  call  to  the  life  at  this  age  and  guide  to  a 
decision.  "Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth"  will  be 
the  answer  of  many  a  boy  and  girl  at  this  age.  With  such 
a  decision  these  boys  and  girls  should  be  given  opportunity 
to  express  this  new  relationship  to  Christ  in  acts  of  service 
of  a  very  practical  nature,  such  as  gathering  up  magazines 
for  hospitals  and  homes,  sending  flowers  and  picture-card 
albums  to  children  in  nurseries  and  orphanages,  and  acts  of 
kindness  and  helpfulness  in  the  home.  Junior  boys  and 
girls  should  enter  a  class  for  instruction  in  church  member- 
ship. 

(7)  Social  and   recreational  life. — This  should  take  the 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        103 

form  of  annual  department  picnics,  hikes,  camping  for  the 
older  boys,  social  games,  and  other  recreations  suggested 
in  Chapter  XV.  The  Bible  games  mentioned  in  that  chap- 
ter will  be  especially  interesting  to  juniors  as  memory  tests. 
There  is  no  time  of  life  when  refreshments  taste  quite  as 
good  as  in  the  junior  period. 

(8)  Teacliers  for  juniors.— Young  people  of  the  Senior 
and  Young  People's  Departments  can  be  trained  to  be 
effective  teachers  of  the  juniors.  They  should,  however,  be 
given  special  opportunity,  before  taking  classes,  to  study 
junior  characteristics  and  to  adapt  themselves  to  this 
really  difficult,  alert,  and  restless  age.  In  several  well- 
organized  Junior  Departments  a  training  class  of  young 
people  for  theory,  observation,  and  practice  work  has  been 
conducted  within  the  department.  The  general  subjects 
of  the  training  course  should  be  studied,  with  special  ap- 
plication to  the  junior  period  and,  later,  the  books  of  the 
third-year  junior  specialization,  Sunday  School  Council 
series.' 

5.  The  Intermediate  Department.  (1)  Age  and  char- 
acteristics.— Prom  twelve  to  fourteen  years  are  the  new 
ages  for  this  department  under  International  standards  to 
harmonize  with  the  junior-high-school  organization.  This 
is  the  first  of  the  periods  of  adolescence.  The  intermediate 
years  are  a  period  of  marked  physical  and  mental  develop- 
ment of  emotional  stress  and,  frequently,  of  spiritual  crisis. 
They  are  years  when  the  boy  and  girl  tend  to  break  with 
the  authority  of  the  home  and  of  religion.  The  gang  or 
club  spirit  is  dominant.  The  emotions  swing  the  young 
people  from  one  extreme  to  the  other.  Parents  and  friends 
fail  to  understand  these  boys  and  girls.  Love,  patience,  and 
sympathy  only  will  win. 

(2)  Organization  and  equipment. —  (a)  Department  or- 
ganization.— This  should  include  a  superintendent  and,  if 


1  These  are  Child  Study:  The  Junior,  Whitley;  Christian  Conduct  for 
Juniors,  Baldwin;  Junior  Teaching  Materials  and  Methods,  Albright; 
Junior  Department  Organization  and  Administration,  Koontz. 


104  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

there  is  a  department  room,  a  musician,  a  secretary,  and 
such  other  helpers  as  the  size  of  the  department  warrants. 
In  one  school  a  fine  orchestra,  made  up  of  the  boys  and  girls, 
has  been  a  factor.  The  department  banner  is  displayed,  and 
the  walls  are  decorated  with  such  pictures  as  "Washington 
at  Prayer  at  Valley  Forge,"  "Christ  and  the  Doctors,"  and 
subjects  showing  hospital  and  other  service.  Small  class 
tables,  around  which  chairs  can  be  grouped,  piano,  maps, 
charts,  stereopticon  outfit,  and  a  department  motto  will  be 
helpful  as  additional  equipment.  In  this  department,  as  in 
the  succeeding  Senior  and  Young  People's  Departments,  the 
young  people  should  be  given  a  place  upon  certain  depart- 
ment committees. 

(&)  Class  07'ganization. — Here,  as  in  the  succeeding  de- 
partments, the  organization  of  the  class  is  important,  with 
the  usual  class  officers  and  social  and  benevolent  commit- 
tees. The  certificate  of  recognition  of  the  organization  can 
be  framed  and  hung  upon  the  wall. 

(c)  Other  or(jun\zations. — The  Boy  Scouts,  Girl  Scouts, 
and  Camp  Fire  Girls  are  popular  with  intermediate  pupils. 
The  department  should  be  closely  linked  up  with  the  inter- 
mediate section  of  the  Epworth  League,  Christian  Endeavor, 
Young  People's  Union,  or  other  denominational  young 
people's  organizations.  Other  organizations  are  also  sug- 
gested under  Chapter  XV. 

(3)  spiritual  importance  of  the  age. — In  the  intermedi- 
ate and  senior  ages  another  crisis  is  reached  in  the  life  of 
the  pupil.  For  the  school  and  department  superintendents 
the  goal  should  be:  "Every  pupil  an  announced  Christian 
before  sixteen."  At  about  fourteen,  the  last  year  of  the 
intermediate  period,  experience  shows  a  great  many  de- 
cisions are  made  for  Christ  and  for  future  Christian  serv- 
ice. A  great  many  missionaries  date  their  decisions  to  go 
to  the  mission  field  to  this  age.  Through  biography,  picture, 
and  story,  and  wise  appeal  for  Christian  decision,  these 
young  people  should  be  challenged.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of 
these  years  that  such  decisions  are  more  easily  given  ex- 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        105 

pression   to   in   forms   of   Christian   service   tlian    in   testi- 
mony. 

(4)  Recreations. — Care  must  be  taken  in  mixing  boys  and 
girls  in  social  and  recreational  activities  during  early  ado- 
lescence. Separate  organization  of  events  for  the  boys  and 
girls  is  advisable  at  this  period,  although,  where  carefully 
supervised,  department  picnics  and  hikes  to  points  of  in- 
terest have  been  successful.  These  give  opportunity  for 
class  and  teacher  to  come  together. 

(5)  The  intermediate  teacher. — There  is  no  age  for  which 
the  teacher  will  need  more  wisdom  than  here.  Dr.  Schauf- 
fler  said  wisely,  "Teacher,  if  you  would  understand  that 
restless  boy  and  that  giggling  girl,  remember,  remember,  re- 
member!" We  must  think  ourselves  back  to  our  own  boy- 
hood and  girlhood,  we  must  read  some  of  the  splendid 
books  now  available  for  the  teen-age  teacher,  we  must  be 
sympathetic  and  understanding,  we  must  be  above  all  else 
a  friend  and  comrade. 

(6)  Parents'  conferences. — It  is  highly  important  that 
home  and  school  cooperate  in  behalf  of  intermediate  and 
senior  pupils.  Parents'  conferences  should  be  arranged, 
and  superintendents,  teacher,  and  parents  should  sit  down 
together  socially  and  talk  frankly  over  the  problems  and 
opportunities  of  the  age.  Frequently  parents  are  having 
their  own  difficulties  in  understanding  their  children  and 
will  welcome  cooperation.  It  is  in  these  conferences  that 
the  question  of  properly  informing  these  young  people  as  to 
sex  can  be  frankly  discussed.  Best  books  on  this  subject 
may  be  suggested,  and  many  a  tragfedy  avoided. 

(7)  Promotions. — The  graduating  exercises  of  the  in- 
termediate and  senior  groups  will  be  touched  upon  in  the 
next  chapter. 

(8)  Department  spirit. — There  is  no  department  in  which 
the  boys  and  girls  will  respond  more  quickly  to  sugges- 
tions as  to  interclass  and  interdepartment  contests  than 
here.  Enthusiasm  will  run  high.  Usually  the  Interme- 
diate Department  will  be  found  at  the  front  in  all  school 


106  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

contests  and  campaigns.  There  is  no  limit  to  the  desire 
and  capacity  of  these  boys  and  girls  for  things  worth  while. 

6.  Tlie  Senior  Department.  (1)  Age  and  characteris- 
tics.— The  Senior  Department  now  includes  the  years  of 
middle  adolescence — fifteen  to  seventeen  inclusive.  These 
are  the  ages  of  early  courtship,  of  heightening  ideals, 
change  of  voice,  independence  of  judgment,  deepening  spir- 
itual experience;  when  young  people  are  active,  adven- 
turous, emotional;  when  criminals  are  made,  and  leaders 
for  good  developed;  years  of  great  decisions  and  rich  pos- 
sibilities of  service.  For  parent  and  teacher  they  are  years 
of  solicitude.  Here  and  in  the  Young  People's  Department 
the  church  should  begin  to  receive  dividends  for  the  King- 
dom from  its  previous  investment  in  Sunday-school  in- 
struction. Yet  these  are  the  years  when  both  church  and 
Sunday  school,  through  inadequate  vision  and  plans,  have 
lost  these  young  people  most  largely  and  unnecessarily. 

There  must  be  full  recognition  here  and  in  the  following 
department  of  the  increasing  social,  mental,  and  spiritual 
development,  and  plans  must  be  laid  to  capture  all  these 
avenues  of  expression  if  all  our  pupils  are  to  be  held.  The 
power  of  organization  must  be  utilized,  and  self-government 
in  administration  must  be  conceded.  Both  the  employed 
group  and  those  in  high  school  demand  special  attention. 

(2)  Department  and  class  organization. — There  should 
be  a  department  room,  with  opportunity  for  separation  of 
classes  in  classrooms  or  by  means  of  curtains  or  screens. 
In  the  Senior  Department,  to  promote  teamwork  and  class 
organization,  larger  classes,  preferably  not  mixed,  should 
be  the  rule.  The  usual  department  organization  applies 
here  including  superintendent,  assistant  superintendent, 
secretary,  chorister,  and  department  committees,  the  lat- 
ter constituted  largely  of  the  young  people.  Indeed,  self- 
government  should  be  expressed  in  the  Senior  Department 
by  the  formation  of  a  senior  council,  composed  of  one  repre- 
sentative from  each  class,  to  plan  for  the  social,  recrea- 
tional, social-service,  and  other  work  of  the  department.    In 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        107 

some  schools  the  department  nominates  its  officers  subject 
to  approval  by  the  proper  board. 

The  equipment  should  include  the  department  motto, 
pennant,  orchestra,  and  songbooks  prepared  especially  for 
pupils  of  this  age. 

Class  organization  should  be  more  complete  than  at  the 
intermediate  age,  including  membership,  social,  and  benevo- 
lent committees,  at  least.  Some  senior  classes  have  their 
own  class  paper,  edited  by  a  committee.  Given  an  oppor- 
tunity, senior  classes  will  be  glad  to  decorate  their  rooms 
with  pennants,  pictures,  colors,  and  fine  mottoes.  Each 
class  should  have  its  own  name,  motto,  yell,  and  song.  Next 
to  those  of  the  home — and  often  stronger  than  the  home — 
are  the  bonds  between  teacher  and  class  in  the  life  of 
seniors. 

(3)  Employment. — Many  of  the  seniors  are  already  wage 
earners.  The  employment  or  social-service  committee  of 
the  school  has  a  unique  opportunity  of  relating  these 
young  people  to  the  right  employment.  The  work  of  that 
committee  will  appear  in  Chapter  XX. 

(4)  Recreations. — A  large  factor  in  gripping  young  peo- 
ple of  the  senior  age  is  adequate  attention  to  the  athletic 
and  social  life.  The  church  should  provide  for  gymnasium, 
tennis,  and  handball,  and  the  department  committee  on 
recreation  should  map  out  a  schedule  of  games,  socials, 
hikes,  contests,  and  tournaments. 

(5)  Organizations. — This  is  the  place  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  senior  section  of  the  church  young  people's  or- 
ganization, whatever  that  may  be.  The  young  women's 
missionary  society,  the  Queen  Esther  and  Dorcas  girls,  and 
similar  societies  should  have  their  source  in  this  depart- 
ment. 

(6)  Training  jor  service. — This  department,  not  infre- 
quently, may  be  depended  on  to  furnish  a  class  for  the 
training  of  teachers  and  leaders.  Seventeen,  or  even  six- 
teen, is  the  right  age  to  begin  the  training  of  young  people 
for  specialized  service.    In  my  own  school  I  have  recruited 


i08  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

a  great  many  of  our  teachers  f torn  training  classes  of 
seventeen-  and  eighteen-year-old  young  people.  Plans  of 
training  may  well  include  those  iti  preparation  for  other 
lines  of  leadership,  such  as  Boy  Scouts,  Girl  Scouts,  Camp 
Fire  Girls,  Sunday-school  secretaries,  members  of  depart- 
ment committees.  Occasionally  these  young  people  should 
be  given  platform  and  other  practice  work. 

(7)  Sjnriiiial  j^ossiMlities.— These  are  years  of  spirit- 
ual decisions;  and,  in  the  most  tactful  way  possible,  de- 
cisions should  be  secured  in  the  case  of  every  senior  before 
leaving  the  department.  The  probabilities  are  largely 
against  right  decision  after  this  age.  The  exanlples  of 
strong  men  and  women  who  are  Christians,  especially  those 
who  are  leaders  in  business,  athletics,  and  national  life; 
Christ  in  the  greatness  of  his  personality,  sacrifice,  and 
program  of  service,  should  be  presented.  The  teacher's 
example  will  be  especially  fruitful. 

7.  The  Young  People's  Department.  (1)  The  group 
and  its  organization. — The  years  eighteen  to  twenty-four 
cover  the  period  of  later  adolescence.  It  is  the  period  of 
college  life  or  the  entering  on  business  following  the  high- 
school  age.  It  is  the  period  also  of  engagements  and  mar^ 
riages.  The  department  and  classes  are  more  or  less  broken 
into  by  these  occurrences,  and  by  removals  for  these  and 
business  reasons,  and  because  of  college  absences. 

If,  however,  there  has  been  effective  organization  in  the 
Senior  Department,  the  chances  favor  the  launching  of  these 
young  people  into  the  new  department  with  enthusiasm,  an 
enlarged  vision  of  service,  and  a  readiness  to  square  up  to 
the  bigger  challenges  to  their  young  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. If  a  good  interest  is  maintained  through  the  period 
of  the  Young  People's  Department,  the  probabilities  are 
that  these  same  young  people,  after  the  inevitable  changes 
referred  to,  will  return  to  their  old  classes  in  the  school, 
or  to  new  classes  of  mothers  or  fathers  organized  in  con- 
nection with  the  lower  departments,  or  to  new  adult 
classes. 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        109 

A  separate  assembly  room,  with  individual  classrooms, 
is  desirable  for  this  department.  The  usual  department  of- 
ficers and  committees  named  in  connection  with  the  Senior 
Departments  are  needed,  and  the  same  general  equipment 
for  the  assembly  room  and  for  classrooms.  It  is  desirable 
that  the  social-service  committee  shall  be  stressed,  with  at- 
tention also  to  employment.  There  should  be  an  active 
committee  on  membership  and  welcome,  for  much  scouting 
is  necessary  to  overcome  natural  losses  and  to  enlist  the 
attendance  of  young  people  who  may,  for  various  reasons, 
have  slipped  away  from  Sunday  school. 

(2)  Department  administration. — With  the  broader  out- 
look upon  life  which  comes  at  this  age  there  must  be  a 
corresponding  broadening  in  the  program  of  the  depart- 
ment. Self-reliance,  individual  and  class  initiative,  self- 
determination,  should  be  given  opportunity  for  fullest  ex- 
pression. The  whole  program  must  be  of  a  kind  that  will 
appeal  to  young  people,  with  due  regard  to  dignity  and 
character  values.  The  hymnal  to  be  used  should  be  care- 
fully selected  by  a  competent  committee  of  the  depart- 
ment. Cheap,  unworthy  music  should  be  shunned.  Special 
departmental  programs  are  issued  by  the  Sunday-school 
boards.  Some  special  musical  feature  should  be  intro- 
duced each  Sunday.  Matters  of  civic  and  international  in- 
terest from  the  Christian  standpoint  should  be  presented, 
and  the  broader  aspects  of  missionary  work  emphasized. 

The  officers  of  the  department,  with  the  exception  of  the 
counselor,  should  be  elected  by  the  members,  subject  to 
ratification  by  the  official  body.  The  counselor,  the  adult 
adviser  of  the  department,  should  be  elected  by  the  same 
body  as  the  superintendent  of  the  school.  A  young  people's 
council  should  be  formed,  composed  of  representatives  of 
the  classes,  with  the  department  officers  and  teachers,  to 
plan  for  the  department  activities.  In  one  school,  under 
such  a  council,  department  and  interclass  socials  were 
planned  for,  the  gymnasium  conducted,  a  department  paper 
edited,  special  days  featured,  and  variety  given  to  the  de-^ 


no  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

partment  exercises  through  participation  in  them  by  classes. 
In  turn  these  classes  were  given  responsibility  for  entire 
sessions  of  the  department.  A  member  of  the  class  would 
act  as  president,  another  would  lead  in  prayer,  another 
give  the  notices,  another  sing  or  play  a  violin  solo;  and 
on  one  Sunday  the  whole  class,  one  of  young  men,  sang 
some  gospel  songs  in  parts.  One  class  gave  an  ideal  mis- 
sionary program,  showing  up  those  parts  of  missionary 
work  at  home  and  abroad  which  would  appeal  to  young 
people. 

(3)  Training  for  service. — The  training  class  for  teach- 
ers and  other  leaders,  referred  to  under  "The  Senior  De- 
partment" and  in  other  chapters,  should  have  a  prominent 
place  in  plans  for  the  Young  People's  Department.  The 
ideal  is  to  make  the  department  a  training  camp  for  special- 
ized service.  There  should  be  not  only  teacher-training 
classes  but  also  classes  in  missions,  social  service,  evan- 
gelism, and  general  leadership.  The  textbooks  are  now 
available  to  enable  a  school  to  broaden  its  training  for 
school,  church,  community,  and  world  service. 

(4)  Missionary  and  social  service  activities. — The  age 
and  earning  capacity  of  the  young  people  should  enable 
classes  to  get  definitely  behind  parts  of  the  church,  com- 
munity, and  world  program.  They  should  be  guided  in 
this  by  the  missionary  and  social-service  committees  of 
the  school.  With  the  selection  of  objects  for  direct  support 
there  will  come  the  stimulus  of  information  as  to  the  re- 
sults of  their  giving.  This  giving,  of  course,  should  not 
take  the  place  of  participation  in  any  general  missionary 
or  other  program  of  the  church  or  denomination. 

(5)  Christian  decisions. — Ninety  per  cent  of  all  de- 
cisions for  the  Christian  life  are  made  before  the  age  of 
twenty-five.  The  years  between  eighteen  and  twenty-four 
are  years  of  doubting,  the  testing  of  theories  in  the  light 
of  fact  and  experience,  years  of  strong  temptation,  when 
foundations  are  tried,  years  of  full  commitment  to  Christ 
and   his   program    in   the    light   of    intelligent   conviction. 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        111 

While  the  Christian  decisions  of  these  years  are  fewer  they 
are  likely  to  be  more  permanent. 

(6)  Betweeri  Sundays. — The  week-day  activities  for  both 
seniors  and  young  people  are  vital  in  the  shaping  of  char- 
acter. A  carefully  formulated  program  of  week-day  ac- 
tivities for  the  department  is  desirable.  Young  people 
should  be  encouraged  to  take  active  part  in  community 
and  State  teen-age  Sunday-school  organizations  and  to  at- 
tend the  training  schools  and  summer  conferences  provided 
by  the  denominational  boards  and  such  conferences  as  are 
held  at  Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin,  and  Lake  Winnepesaukee, 
New  Hampshire,  by  the  International  Sunday  School  As- 
sociation. A  teen-age  union  in  a  Pennsylvania  town  of 
seven  churches  reported  95  per  cent  of  all  the  young  people 
in  the  town  in  church  and  Sunday-school  services.  A  bi- 
monthly meeting  was  held  for  recreation,  study,  leadership 
training,  and  discussion  of  subjects  of  common  interest; 
wholesome  recreation  for  the  community  in  the  line  of 
lectures,  dramatics,  and  pageantry  was  provided;  and  the 
win-my-chum  plan  of  personal  evangelism  was  used. 

8.  The  Adult  Department.  This  department  will  in- 
clude those  over  twenty-four,  as  also  the  parents'  classes, 
which  may  have  some  members  under  twenty-four.  In 
some  schools  there  is  a  separate  organization  for  the  Par- 
ents' Department,  with  a  superintendent,  the  aim  being  to 
bring  the  parents  into  close  touch  with  the  religious  edu- 
cation of  their  children  and  to  aid  and  inspire  them  in  the 
home  training  of  their  children.  Parents'  Department  work 
we  shall  more  fully  consider  in  Chapter  XVI,  as  the  work 
of  the  department  includes  nonattending  as  well  as  at- 
tending parents.  In  one  school  there  is  a  Mothers'  De- 
partment, consisting  of  a  group  of  mothers'  classes.  These 
are  separately  supervised  and  organized  into  a  mothers' 
association  with  a  monthly  meeting. 

(1)  Organization  and  program. — The  Adult  Department 
ordinarily  consists  of  a  group  of  organized  adult  classes — 
men's,   women's,   and   mixed — with    a    superintendent   and 


112  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

usual  officers.  Such  a  department  may  meet  in  the  church, 
or  occupy  classrooms  in  the  adult  assembly  room  or  de- 
tached rooms. 

The  classes  forming  the  Adult  Department  should,  if 
possible,  be  brought  together  in  their  own  assembly  room 
or  in  the  church  for  a  common  service  of  worship,  with 
songs  and  program  fashioned  to  their  needs.  There  should 
Tae  presented  each  Sunday  some  topic  of  interest  to  adults 
from  the  church,  community,  or  world  standpoint,  with  an 
occasional  brief  address  by  some  business,  church,  or  civic 
leader. 

Items  of  class  growth  and  work  that  should  prove  stimu- 
lating to  the  entire  department  should  be  presented  by  a 
class  representative  from  time  to  time. 

A  welcoming  committee  should  be  an  active  factor  in  the 
department.  The  chairmen  of  the  different  class  commit- 
tees may  form  a  department  committee  on  interclass  mat- 
ters. 

(2)  Class  organization  and  activities. — Peculiarly  in  the 
Adult  Department  in  the  past  the  interest  has  cen- 
tered about  the  class.  The  tendency  now  is  to  emphasize  de- 
partment organization.  The  principal  adult  committees 
are  executive,  membership,  devotional,  social,  and  mission- 
ary (or  benevolence).  The  activities  include  a  wide  range 
— athletics,  employment,  civic  improvement,  hospital  and 
institutional  visitation,  men's  community  institutes,  pro- 
viding substitute  teachers,  father-and-son  and  mother-and- 
daughter  banquets,  the  support  of  a  student  on  a  foreign 
field,  gospel  teams,  and  cottage  prayer  meetings.  One  group 
of  men's  classes  in  Pennsylvania  arranged  a  three-day  in- 
stitute on  better  homes,  better  schools,  better  Sunday 
schools,  better  communities.  The  discussions  were  led  by 
specialists  brought  to  that  town  from  around  the  State. 

Where  class  organization  is  prominent,  care  must  be 
taken  to  keep  the  classes  in  close  touch  with  the  school. 
Too  often  the  tendency  is  to  think  of  the  classes  as  de- 
tached,  independent   units. 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        113 

In  addition  to  the  Improved  Uniform  Lessons  numerous 
special  elective  courses  are  now  available,  including  special 
lessons  for  parents. 

(3)  Parents'  classes. — These  are  a  new  and  interesting 
feature  of  the  Adult  Department.  The  field  is  limitless.  A 
good  point  for  the  beginning  of  such  classes  is  with  the 
fathers  and  mothers  of  the  Beginners'  or  Primary  Depart- 
ments, for  these  are  often  in  attendance  with  their  children. 

(4)  Community  survey. — The  adult  classes  should  con- 
duct a  community  survey  to  know  conditions  as  to  evil 
and  good  influences  and  to  reach,  through  such  a  visitation 
and  survey,  every  man  and  woman  in  the  community  with 
an  invitation  to  the  classes  and  church.  Members  of  the 
department  should  keep  in  touch  with  the  courts,  if  in  a 
city,  and  act  as  Big  Brothers  and  Big  Sisters  to  first  of- 
fenders. The  classes  of  the  church  should  federate  with 
similar  classes  in  other  churches  to  act  together  on  mat- 
ters requiring  the  expression  of  Christian  conscience  in 
civic  and  moral  affairs. 

9.  The  Home  Department.  (1)  Organization. — This  is 
the  home-extension  department  of  the  Sunday  school.  As 
a  matter  of  effective  organization  it  should  expand  its  work 
to  include  the  visitation  of  all  the  homes  of  the  school  with 
the  purpose  of  definitely  attaching  every  parent  to  the 
Home  Department,  a  fathers'  or  mothers'  class,  or  a  parents' 
association. 

The  department  is  an  outreach  of  the  Sunday  school  into 
the  community,  providing  extension  courses  of  Bible  study 
for  those  who  cannot  attend  the  Bible-study  classes  in  the 
school,  including  in  its  ministry  the  infirm,  the  old,  the 
young  mothers,  nurses,  physicians,  Sunday  clerks,  soldiers, 
policemen,  firemen,  railway  employees,  and  commercial 
travelers.  This  department  builds  membership  into  the 
church  and  Sunday  school  and  often  furnishes  regular  and 
substitute  teachers. 

The  officers  are  the  superintendent,  secretary,  treasurer, 
and  visitors.     The  visitor  is  supposed  to  visit  two  or  more 


114  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

of  the  members,  secure  the  offering  and  record  of  the  quar- 
ter's Sunday-school  lesson  reading  and  study  at  home,  and 
to  pray  at  times  with  the  one  visited.  The  secretary  should 
remember  the  birthdays  of  the  members.  Equipment  should 
include  a  record  book,  Home  Department  quarterlies,  ap- 
plication cards,  and  quarterly  report  cards  for  lesson  study. 

(2)  Family  worship. — The  Home  Department  has  proved 
an  excellent  means  for  the  introduction  of  family  worship 
into  the  home.  If,  in  addition  to  reading  aloud  in  the 
presence  of  the  family,  the  daily  home  reading  as  indi- 
cated in  the  quarterly,  the  Lord's  prayer  is  offered,  a  fine 
beginning  has  been  made  for  family  worship.  Family- 
worship  cards  are  now  a  regular  part  of  the  equipment  of 
the  Home  Department. 

(3)  Special  Home  Department  features. —  (a)  Home  De- 
partment social. — This  quarterly  or  annual  affair  can  be 
made  very  attractive  by  the  emphasis  of  the  department 
colors,  blue  and  white;  the  grouping  of  members  in  visitors' 
circles,  a  social  program  and  brief  talks  by  pastor  and 
superintendent.  Sometimes  these  socials  are  held  with  ad- 
vantage at  homes  of  visitors  or  members. 

(b)  Lihrary  privileges. — The  school  should  promote  the 
circulation,  through  the  visitors,  of  a  special  Home  Depart- 
ment library  consisting  of  best  fiction  and  books  for  par- 
ents and  the  home. 

(c)  Home  Department  Day. — This  should  be  observed 
annually  through  a  sermon  by  the  pastor  and  a  special  pro- 
gram in  the  Sunday  school.  Reserved  seats  should  be  kept 
for  members,  and  a  flower  pinned  on  each.  Mother's  Day 
is  another  occasion  when  the  Home  Department  can  be 
emphasized.  The  department  should  be  invited  to  all  the 
special  days  of  the  school. 

((Z)  Social  plans  used  dy  a  nwnler  of  successful  Home 
Departments  are  described  in  Chapter  XVI. 

10.  The  Oificer-  and  Teacher-Training  Department. 
(1)  Organization. — If  there  is  but  one  such  class  in  a 
school,  a  superintendent  is  not  necessary.    In  that  case  the 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        115 

educational  superintendent  may  supervise  the  work.  Who- 
ever has  the  work  in  charge  should  (a)  correspond  with 
the  Teacher  Training  Department  of  the  Sunday-school 
board  and  procure  the  leaflet  literature  relating  to  the  ad- 
ministration of  training;  (&)  ascertain  if  there  is  a  com- 
munity training  school  in  his  locality,  to  which  workers 
may  go  for  training;  (c)  in  these  ways  learn  about  the 
standard  training  courses  and  specialization  textbooks;  (d) 
procure  from  the  public  library,  without  cost,  for  a  limited 
time,  the  specialization  books  required  or  purchase  these 
from  the  school  funds;  (e)  attend  the  institute  on  teacher 
or  officer  training  at  the  next  county  or  State  convention 
or  at  a  summer  school. 

(2)  Training  of  present  workers. — The  responsible  leader, 
whether  superintendent  of  the  Teacher-Training  Depart- 
ment or  the  educational  superintendent,  should  help  train 
officers  and  teachers  who  have  not  had  special  training  in 
one  of  these  ways:  (a)  Plan  for  a  worker's  conference 
of  all  officers  and  teachers.  (&)  Place  in  the  teachers'  hands 
for  reading  books  relating  to  their  work,  (c)  If  this  is  not 
possible,  organize  a  week-night  training  class  of  those  who 
can  be  enlisted.  A  chapter  of  some  good  book  on  teaching 
may  be  read  weekly  in  a  reading  class  and  discussed  in  its 
application  to  the  current  lessons. 

(3)  Registration  and  recognitio7i. — The  training  class 
should  be  registered  with  the  denominational  headquarters, 
which  carries  with  it  registration  with  the  State  and  Inter- 
national Association;  and  from  these  offices  should  come  the 
necessary  examinations,  as  well  as  certificates  of  recog- 
nition, with  the  seals  for  specialization  work.  These  cer- 
tificates will  provide  for  credits  at  each  step  of  the  course 
and  should  be  publicly  presented  by  the  pastor  in  a  school 
or  church  service.  Much  should  be  made  of  this  training- 
class  graduation  service.  The  class  should  be  known  as  the 
class  of  (name  of  year).  It  should  have  a  slogan,  a  Scrip- 
ture motto  (such  as  2  Tim.  2.  15),  a  watchword  ("Serve"), 
and  a  class  song  or  hymn;  and  these  should  be  recited  in 


116  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

the  graduation  in  June,  preferably  on  a  Sunday  or  week- 
evening.  Some  prominent  leader  should  deliver  the  address, 
essays  on  the  class  work  should  be  read,  a  class  prophecy 
should  be  made.  Graduate  work  should  be  planned  for,  and 
an  alumni  association  formed  of  all  graduates. 

(4)  Elective  and  practice  work. — Not  all  young  people 
will  desire  to  teach;  some  will  prefer  executive  work,  such 
as  assistant  superintendent,  departmental  superintendent, 
secretary,  treasurer,  librarian,  chorister,  recreational  leader, 
or  important  committee  work.  After  studying  the  general 
units  of  the  training  courses  members  of  the  class  may  elect 
their  special  work  and  prepare  for  it  through  specialization 
study. 

Opportunity  should  be  given  all  class  members  for  ob- 
servation and  practice  work  and  report  during  or  at  the 
completion  of  the  course.  In  this  way  faults  can  be  cor- 
rected and   confidence  gained. 

Bibliography 

How  to  Conduct  a  Cradle  Roll,  Curtiss. 
The  Beginners'  Worker  and  Work.  Beard. 
Primary  Methods  in  the  Church  School,  Munkres. 
The  Junior  Worker  and   Work,   Baldwin. 
Workers  With  Youth,  Harris. 
The  Sunday  School  and  the  Teens,  Alexander. 
Handbook  for  Workers  With  Young  People,  Thompson. 
The  Adult  Worker  and  Work,  Barclay. 
Leaders  of  Girls,   Espey. 
Leaders  of  Young  People,  Smith. 

Home  Classes  and  Home  Department  of  the  Sunday 
School,  Hazard. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  Department  management  as  related  to  the  graded  les- 
sons. 

2.  Department  separation  and  school  unity. 


DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT        117 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  Name  the  inclusive  ages  of  the  different  school  depart- 
ments. 

2.  In  what  ways  may  the  Cradle  Roll  be  a  valuable  fac- 
tor in  school  and  church  upbuilding? 

•3.  Are  Bible  classes  for  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  be- 
ginners practicable? 

4.  Give  the  most   important  particulars  concerning  Pri- 
mary Department  organization. 

5.  At   what   age   should   memory   work   be   most   empha- 
sized? 

6.  What  should  be  the  supreme   objective   of   the   Inter- 
mediate and  Senior  Departments? 

7.  What  are  four  points  for  work  with  the  Senior  Depart- 
ment? 

8.  Whai  is  the  special  opportunity  in  the  Young  People's 
Department? 

9.  What  is  the  secret  of  the  success  of  the  adult  class? 

10.  What  organization  is  necessary  for  the  Home  Depart- 
ment ? 

11.  What   are   the   best   methods   for   promoting   teacher 
training? 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  EDUCATIONAL  SUPERINTENDENT 

In  the  chapters  preceding  we  have  considered  the  work 
of  the  superintendents  of  the  various  departments  and  their 
training  for  service.  The  graded  plan  makes  necessary  the 
appointment  of  someone  who  shall  assign  pupils,  coordinate 
the  educational  work  of  the  departments,  and  arrange  for 
promotion  and  promotion  exercises  and  for  the  supplemental 
and  manual  work  of  the  pupils.  Such  a  superintendent 
may  combine  this  work  with  some  other  office;  but  the  work 
itself  should  be  definitely  committed  to  someone  well  quali- 
fied for  this  important  service — a  service  that  should  bring 
up  the  educational  efficiency  of  the  school. 

We  shall  consider  the  various  parts  of  the  work  of  the 
educational  superintendent. 

1.  Grading  the  pnpils.  We  have  already  stated  that 
in  the  smallest  school  there  should  be  at  least  one  class 
for  each  distinct  age  group — that  is,  for  each  department 
group;  for  instance,  a  class  of  those  nine  to  eleven  for  the 
Junior  Department,  one  of  twelve  to  fourteen  for  the  Inter- 
mediate Department.  The  assignment  of  pupils,  even  in  a 
small  school,  will  therefore  follow  the  general  departmental 
lines. 

In  the  larger  school  the  pupils  will  be  divided  into  de- 
partments and  classes  and  preferably,  in  the  Junior  and 
Intermediate  Departments,  into  classes  of  boys  and  girls 
for  each  year  of  the  department.  In  some  communities  the 
assignment  to  classes  is  made  on  the  basis  of  the  grade  of 
the  pupil  in  the  public  school.  This  should  surely  be  taken 
into  account. 

In  some  schools  the  young  people,  after  passing  fourteen, 
are  classified  into  high-school   and  business  classes.     The 

118 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  SUPERINTENDENT         119 

natural  association  of  pupils  outside  of  the  school  is,  for 
the  later  teens,  much  to  be  preferred  as  a  basis  of  assign- 
ment to  any  arbitrary  grading  plan. 

2.  The  curriculum.  The  graded  plan  makes  inevitable 
the  introduction  of  progressive  courses  of  study.  These  are 
furnished  in  the  International  Closely  Graded  Lessons.  The 
group  lessons  are  likely  to  come  into  use,  in  the  small 
school,  where  the  closely  graded  lessons  are  not  used.  The 
uniform  lesson  is  likely  slowly  to  give  way  to  either  the 
group  lessons  or  closely  graded  lessons.  Where  the  uniform 
lessons  are  in  use,  the  beginners'  and  primary  closely 
graded  lessons  by  all  means  should  be  used  for  the  younger 
children. 

The  educational  superintendent  will  have  need  of  pa- 
tience in  introducing  the  graded  lessons  in  certain  schools 
wedded  to  the  old  plan.  It  is  usually  best  to  begin  the  pro- 
cess with  the  beginners'  and  primary  classes  and  work  up. 

This  superintendent  should  make  a  careful  study  of  all 
available  courses  and  material  for  use  in  the  Young  Peo- 
ple's and  Adult  Departments,  for  which  elective  studies  are 
provided,  and  should  suggest  to  the  teachers  the  books  or 
courses  most  serviceable  on  the  lines  suggested  in  the  young 
people's  and  adult  sections  of  the  previous  chapter. 

The  church  committee  on  religious  instruction  will  be 
counseled  with  in  connection  with  the  planning  of  the  gen- 
eral school  curriculum. 

3.  Standards.  The  accepted  denominational  standards 
for  the  school,  departments,  organized  classes,  and  officer 
and  teacher  training  should  be  faithfully  promoted,  and 
recognition  for  attainment  secured  and  announced  by  the 
educational  superintendent. 

4.  The  library.  As  a  member  of  the  library  committee 
the  educational  superintendent's  counsel  should  be  valuable 
in  the  selection,  grading,  and  listing  of  the  books,  especially 
those  designed  for  officers  and  teachers,  the  training  class, 
and  missions.  His  help  should  be  enlisted  in  promoting  the 
circulation  of  such  books. 


120  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

5.  Correlated  or  supplemental  \irork.  By  this  is 
meant  progressive  drill  in  the  various  departments  to  fix 
in  the  memory  of  the  pupils  hymns,  Bible  facts,  and  im- 
portant texts  and  passages.  Drill  in  Bible  texts,  hymns, 
etc.,  is  largely  provided  for  in  the  International  Graded 
Lessons  and  is  given  as  a  part  of  these  lessons.  Where 
the  uniform  lesson  is  used,  suitable  material  may  be  found 
in  supplemental  leaflets,  which  can  be  obtained  of  the  de- 
nominational boards.  Most  pupils  enjoy  such  drill  work 
very  much,  especially  in  the  junior  years.  It  is  absolutely 
essential  to  good  work.  There  should  be  some  examination 
upon  it  at  the  end  of  the  quarter  or  of  the  school  year,  and 
some  recognition  for  it  should  be  given  in  the  form  of  a 
seal  attached  to  the  promotion  certificate. 

6.  Manual  work.  Handwork  is  the  expression  of  the 
lesson  and  Bible  truth  through  map  making,  model  forming, 
compilation  of  scrap-  and  notebooks,  and  decorative  and 
illustrative  work,  so  that  the  lessons  and  the  Bible  become 
real  to  the  pupil.  In  bringing  handwork  into  the  Sunday 
school  we  are  simply  keeping  in  step  with — or,  rather,  a  step 
behind — the  day  school,  and  we  are  utilizing  a  method  al- 
ready familiar  to  many  of  our  pupils.  Pupils  attending 
country  Sunday  schools  may  not  have  the  advantage  in  this 
respect  possessed  by  the  city  child;  but  the  Sunday-school 
teacher  can  easily  win  a  new  interest  in  the  lesson  by  adopt- 
ing some  of  the  plans  suggested,  for  it  does  not  require  a 
trained  teacher  to   do  this  work. 

It  is  first  necessary  for  the  educational  superintendent 
to  get  well  acquainted  with  the  subject  by  reading  up  on  it, 
notably  such  books  as  Handwork  in  the  Sunday  School,  by 
Milton  S.  Littlefield  (The  Abingdon  Press);  Handwork  in 
Religious  Education,  by  Addie  Grace  Wardle;  and  Things 
to  Make,  by  J.  Gertrude  Hutton.  By  so  doing  he  cannot  help 
but  realize  its  large  value  in  interesting  and  training  the 
pupils. 

Handwork  takes  into  account  the  law  that  impressions 
are  not  made  definite  except  by  expression.     It  helps  the 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  SUPERINTENDENT  121 

pupils.  They  like  it.  It  provides  a  channel  for  expression 
through  their  finger  tips  and  gives  them  an  added  respect 
for  the  Sunday  school  as  an  educational  institution.  The 
Bible  is  made  a  real  book  as  its  characters,  events,  and 
lands  are  put  in  concrete  form.  Handwork  helps  the  teacher 
by  giving  a  new  educational  channel  for  the  lesson  truths, 
wins  the  interested  cooperation  of  the  pupil,  and  gives  a 
new  point  of  contact  with  the  pupil's  life,  Sunday  and  week- 
day. It  projects  the  lesson  into  the  week  and  secures  a 
larger  home  interest  than  any  other  method.  It  helps  to 
larger  attendance  and  better  order  because  of  a  more  in- 
telligent interest.  It  leads  to  larger  spiritual  results,  for 
knowledge  must  precede  choice  if  the  matter  is  to  be  ef- 
fective. 

(1)  Important  particulars. — To  answer  general  que- 
ries we  may  say:  (a)  The  material  selected  for  map  work, 
modeling,  and  other  handwork  may  also  be  used  to  illus- 
trate the  current  lessons,  (b)  The  time  spent  upon  such 
work  as  map  making  in  the  school  is  not  lost,  for  it  lays 
the  foundation  for  many  subsequent  lessons  in  locating 
places,  persons,  and  events.  Such  work  in  geography  may 
illustrate  current  lessons  and  is  a  definite  part  of  good  teach- 
ing, (c)  The  exhibit  of  handwork  affords  also  a  fine  op- 
portunity for  a  parents'  evening,  (d)  Handwork  does  not 
require  an  expert.  One  teacher  informed  as  to  the  plan 
and  with  some  illustrative  material  such  as  is  suggested 
in  the  second  paragraph  can  be  used  to  meet  and  train 
other  teachers  in  all  the  required  work,  (e)  Begin  with 
one  class.  The  new  interest  in  that  class  will  cause  atten- 
tion and  the  adoption  of  the  work  by  others.  In  one  large 
school  this  was  the  method:  The  class  met  once  on  a  week- 
night  at  the  home  of  the  supervising  teacher  with  blank 
books  and  the  Sunday-school  lesson  pictures.  Thereafter 
all  that  was  required  was  the  supply  of  the  pictures  and 
occasional  suggestions.  (/)  The  main  work  is  accom- 
plished at  home,  the  teacher  or  supervisor  placing  on  Sun- 
day a  seal  on  the  accepted  work,     (g)   The  expense  of  the 


122  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

work  can  be  made  moderate.  The  material  can  be  gradually- 
acquired,  (h)  It  should  be  emphasized  that  handwork,  to 
be  of  service,  must  be  kept  tributary  to  the  lesson  and  must 
issue  in  spiritual  results  and  more  intelligent  service.  And 
this  is  the  usual  outcome  of  its  use. 

(2)  The  outfit  required. — A  manual  room,  if  possible, 
should  be  fitted  out  with  sand  table,  blackboard,  chairs, 
topographical  and  relief  maps  of  Palestine,  the  Sinaitic  pen- 
insula, and  Jerusalem;  a  cabinet  for  supplies,  stereograph, 
and  Palestinian  pictures,  models  of  an  Oriental  house, 
lamp,  tabernacle,  water  bottles,  and  Eastern  garments.  To 
this  room  classes  may  be  taken  for  instruction  and  exami- 
nation. Samples  of  their  work  will  decorate  the  walls  and 
tables.  Other  material  required  wull  include  blank  books, 
ruled  notebooks,  and  letter  sheets;  crayons,  modeling  clay, 
pulp,  putty,  and  plasticine,  inks  (all  colors),  book-covering 
paper  in  gray  and  brown;  Bible  and  lesson  pictures  for 
illustrative  purposes,  scissors,  drawing  paper,  small  outline 
maps;  a  Bible  dictionary  showing  models;  a  Bible  geog- 
raphy for  maps;  paste  and  brushes.  A  valuable  list  of 
best  supplies  and  where  obtainable  can  be  found  in  the  leaf- 
let on  the  subject  issued  by  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools. 

(3)  Notebook  or  written  work. — In  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment and  lower  junior  grades  handwork  will  take  the  form 
of  scrapbook  work,  done  sometimes  in  a  part  of  the  school 
session  but  usually  ^t  home.  In  the  upper  junior  and  early 
intermediate  grades  this  notebook  work  will  expand  to  in- 
clude the  drawing  in  crayon  or  ink  of  lesson  illustrations, 
the  fuller  expression  of  the  lesson  story  in  writing,  the  use 
of  the  outline  maps  colored  and  with  lesson  points  located, 
and  the  artistic  decorating  with  crayon  of  covers  for  the 
completed  books  and  with  choice  pictures  and  illuminated 
borders  and  initial  letters.  The  lesson  notebook  may  be- 
come a  class  book,  each  pupil  weekly,  in  turn,  contributing 
the  lesson  story  and  illustrations.  Historical  notebook  work 
has  a  special  appeal  to  the  upper  junior  and  the  interme- 
diate grades.    This  includes  narrative  work,  the  study  of  the 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  SUPERINTENDENT  123 

Bible  by  periods,  and  the  analyzing  and  summarizing  of 
events  in  connection  with  maps.  There  is  a  series  of 
outline  maps  published  for  this  purpose.  Any  outstanding 
Bible  character  or  reign  or  distinct  historical  period  can 
be  treated  in  this  way,  the  facts  being  correctly  stated  or 
outlined,  and  the  maps  marked  accordingly. 

(4)  Modeling  work. — As  related  to  the  making  of  relief 
maps  this  will  require  clay,  putty,  pulp,  or  plasticine.  A 
cheap  method  of  providing  material  is  to  take  newspapers, 
torn  in  small  pieces  not  more  than  one  inch  square,  pour 
boiling  water  over  them,  let  stand  for  four  or  five  hours, 
work  over  with  the  jagged  end  of  a  board  until  the  fiber 
is  smooth,  and  then  drain  off  the  water.  In  making  relief 
maps  use  board  trays  7i/4xl0  inches,  forming  the  map  over 
an  outline  and  showing  villages,  mountains,  lakes,  and 
plains.  When  dry  remove  the  map  and  glue  it  upon  card- 
board. The  rivers  and  cities  may  be  shown  in  red  ink. 
This  is  fascinating  work  for  juniors.  Sand-map  modeling 
is  another  method  of  interest.  Oriental  water  pots,  lamps, 
wells,  and  tombs  are  other  model  forms  for  juniors.  Such 
models  may  be  obtained  from  Sunday-school  supply  houses. 
In  the  intermediate  grades  higher  forms  of  work  should  be 
tried,  such  as  an  Eastern  sling,  sword,  sandals,  sheepfold. 
Oriental  house,  tent.  Oriental  dress,  and  a  turban.  A  plan 
suggested  for  seniors 'is  to  make  working  drawings  of  Solo- 
mon's Temple,  the  tabernacle,  and  Bible  implements. 

(5)  Handwork  and  the  graded  lessons. — With  the  graded 
lessons  it  is  planned  that  the  handwork,  such  as  historical 
geography  and  notebook  work,  shall  be  constantly  used 
with  the  lessons.  There  may  be  needed  an  occasional  ses- 
sion for  geography  work  that  shall  be  broadly  introductory; 
or  the  preparation  of  an  essay,  such  as  "The  Roman  Empire 
as  a  Preparation  for  Christ's  Coming,"  for  older  classes; 
or  some  special  portfolio  work  or  modeling  work  of  maps 
or  objects.  With  the  intermediate  graded  lessons,  used  by 
high-school  students  who  are  busy  with  their  school  tasks, 
the  handwork  is  reduced  to  a  minimum.     It   covers  two 


124  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

things:  (a)  to  construct  an  event  map  giving  a  summary  of 
events  to  form  the  basis  of  class  discussion,  following  a 
model  in  the  teacher's  book,  and  (b)  to  construct  a  char- 
acter analysis  following  a  suggested  outline. 

(6)  Handwork  exMMt. — The  material  in  all  grades  should 
be  gathered  by  the  educational  superintendent  and  ar- 
ranged in  an  interesting  annual  exhibit.  Parents  and 
friends  should  be  invited,  and  papers  relating  to  the  sub- 
jects produced  should  be  read  by  the  pupils.  All  this  may 
form  a  part  of  the  promotion  or  graduation  service.  The 
manual  room  or  school  museum  should  receive  the  best  of 
the  work  for  permanent  exhibition. 

Such  an  exhibit  might  be  a  part  of  a  general  annual 
school  exhibit,  to  include  school  posters,  Boy  Scout,  Girl 
Scout,  Camp  Fire  Girls  outfits,  class  and  departmental  pen- 
nants and  publicity  material,  together  with  facts,  attrac- 
tively charted,  regarding  the  school's  organization,  objec- 
tives, and  growth. 

7.  Promotions.  (1)  Necessity. — All  well-ordered  schools, 
small  or  large,  plan  for  an  annual  Promotion  Day,  Pupils 
are  promoted,  with  appropriate  exercises,  from  department 
to  department,  or  from  class  to  class  in  small  schools,  and 
in  the  large  schools  from  grade  to  grade  within  the  depart- 
ment. This  annual  Promotion  Day,  as  in  the  public  school, 
becomes  an  objective  toward  which  pupils  and  teachers 
work. 

(2)  Basis. — In  some  schools  pupils  are  promoted  on  the 
basis  of  merit,  following  an  examination  on  the  year's  work. 
The  usual  plan,  however,  is  for  all  pupils  to  be  advanced 
at  the  end  of  the  school  year,  a  certificate  being  given  to 
all,  but  with  the  addition  of  an  honor  seal  for  those  who 
have  done  meritorious  work.  This  special  work  may  con- 
sist of  some  form  of  manual  or  supplemental  work,  the  plan 
for  such  work  and  recognition  having  been  explained  in 
each  department  well  in  advance. 

(3)  Promotion  certificates. — All  denominational  and  Sun- 
day-school supply  houses  furnish  these.     They  are  usually 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  SUPERINTENDENT  125 

prepared  for  promotion  from  department  to  department. 
Some  recognize  the  grade  promotions  as  well.  Promotion 
certificates  should  be  signed  by  the  school  and  department 
officers  and  should  be  tied  in  the  International  divisional 
colors  or  in  the  school  colors  where  such  have  been  adopted. 

(4)  Time. — The  last  Sunday. in  September  and  the  first 
Sunday  in  October  are  the  days  usually  favored  for  Pro- 
motion Day,  although  some  schools  use  Children's  Day. 
The  later  date  has  the  advantage  of  holding  the  class  to- 
gether over  the  summer  period  for  a  good  fall  start. 

(5)  Exercises. — These  should  be  dignified,  as  in  the  pub- 
lic school,  and  should  emphasize  the  work  accomplished 
during  the  year.  Parents  and  friends  may  be  invited 
through  formal  printed  invitations  that  list  the  names  of 
the  graduates.  Flowers,  banners,  flags,  and  department 
decorations  may  be  used,  and  a  graduation  arch  constructed 
appropriately  trimmed,  through  which  pupils  may  march 
to  receive  their  promotion  certificates.  An  evening  may 
well  be  given  to  this  service. 

In  some  schools  a  morning  church  service  is  used,  the 
classes  or  departments,  in  the  presence  of  the  congrega- 
tion, responding  with  the  special  drill  work  on  the  Bible 
books  and  divisions,  Bible  characters,  and  the  recitation 
of  memory  hymns.  Psalms,  verses,  and  special  passages. 
On  such  occasions  Bibles  are  frequently  given  the  Primary 
children. 

In  other  schools  the  public-school  plan  is  followed,  with 
a  class  poem  and  song,  essays  on  Bible  subjects  or  char- 
acters, an  address  by  pastor  or  superintendent,  a  valedic- 
tory, a  welcome  by  a  representative  of  the  new  class  or 
department,  the  class  history,  a  class  roll  call,  and  the 
presentation  of  certificates,  the  class  standing.  The  small 
Sunday  school  can  easily  adopt  some  of  these  plans. 

Where  there  are  recitations  of  memory  hymns  and  Scrip- 
ture passages,  the  selections  should  be  taken  from  the 
graded  lessons  or  the  supplemental  work  of  the  department. 

In  the  First  Congregational  Sunday  School  of  Los  Angeles 


126  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

the  intermediates,  on  their  graduation  night,  presented  a 
series  of  Bible  tableaux,  including  prominent  events  in  the 
life  of  Ruth,  David,  and  Abraham. 

In  another  school  a  committee  was  appointed  in  the 
Senior  Department  to  prepare  a  special  social  program  to 
welcome  the  graduates  from  the  Intermediate  Department 
into  the  new  department.  This  took  the  form  of  a  stunt 
night,  the  seniors  furnishing  the  program.  When  the  in- 
termediates came  into  the  new  department,  the  seniors 
stood  in  token  of  welcome,  and  representatives  of  the 
classes  expressed  from  the  platform  their  welcome  to  the 
newcomers. 

8.  Training  for  leadership.  The  educational  superin- 
tendent will  have  special  interest  in  the  training  of  the 
school  leadership,  present  and  prospective,  in  order  that  the 
highest  point  of  efficiency  may  be  realized  by  the  school. 
Such  training,  through  classes,  institutes,  libraries,  and 
conventions,  has  been  outlined  in  other  chapters. 

9.  Providing  substitutes.  The  educational  superinten- 
dent, in  cooperation  with  the  department  superintendents, 
must  work  out  a  plan  for  the  provision  of  substitutes.  See 
Chapter  XII. 

Bibliography 

The  Educational  Task  of  the  Local  Church,  Bower. 
Handwork  in  the  Sunday  School,  Littlefield. 
The   Training  of  Sunday  School  Teachers  and  Officers^ 
McElfresh. 
Handwork  in  Religious  Education,  Wardle. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  Handwork  in  the  public  schools. 

2.  Standards  of  the  denominations  for  various  depart- 
ment. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  need  of  an  educational  superintendent? 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  SUPERINTENDENT  127 

2.  Who  should  grade  the  pupil? 

3.  How  can  graded  lessons  be  introduced  in  the  school? 

4.  How  can  school  standards  be  promoted? 

5.  How  can  supplemental  work  be   introduced? 

6.  What  are  the  advantages  of  handwork  in  the  school? 

7.  The  use  of  handwork  with  the  graded  lessons. 

8.  What  interesting  features  may  be  introduced  in  pro- 
motions? 


CHAPTER  IX 
PROGRAM  AND  SESSION 

1.  The  program.  The  prevailing  ideal  to-day,  wherever 
the  building  can  be  readjusted,  and  in  practically  all  new 
Sunday-school  construction,  is  toward  a  complete  separation 
of  departments,  the  entire  time  of  the  session  being  given 
to  each  department  to  adapt  the  exercises  to  the  age  and 
interests  of  the  pupil.  In  many  of  our  smaller  schools  this 
plan  is  impracticable,  owing  to  lack  of  facilities.  Some  com- 
bine several  departments  for  opening  or  closing  worship, 
or  both. 

The  attempt  is  not  made  here  to  outline  a  separate  pro- 
gram for  each  department.  The  principles  of  program  mak- 
ing as  given  here  are  applicable  to  all  departments  and  may 
be  used  in  connection  with  the  suggestions  as  to  department 
needs  in  Chapter  VII. 

(1)  Program  making. — A  superintendent  should  come  to 
the  session  with  the  last  item  set  out  on  paper,  the  program 
thought  over,  prayed  over,  and  almost  dreamed  over.  Not 
that  a  program  should  be  so  ironclad  that  a  change  cannot 
be  made  in  it.  Changes  will  frequently  be  necessary,  and 
often  suddenly.  But  there  should  be  a  backbone  to  the  pro- 
gram, and  a  purpose  singing  its  way  clear  through  to  the 
last  moment;  and  the  song  does  not  come  unless  the  con- 
stituent notes  have  been  worked  over  at  home  into  har- 
mony. A  superintendent  should  give  to  his  program  mak- 
ing as  much  time  as  he  expects  his  teachers  to  give  for 
effective  lesson  preparation. 

(2)  Purpose  of  the  program. —  (a)  To  develop  and  climax 
the  lesson  truth. — Songs,  prayer.  Scripture,  review,  all 
must  conserve  this.  This  is  the  golden  thread  giving  unity 
to  the  service,  the  motif  of  the  music  appearing  again  and 

128 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  129 

again,  haunting  the  spirit  after  the  day  is  over,  and  issu- 
ing in  conduct  and  service  in  the  pupil's  everyday  life.  It 
is  no  easy  or  light  matter  to  select  the  material,  to  form  the 
prayer,  to  mold  the  session,  so  that  this  result  shall  be 
produced.  It  is  controlling  and  directing  the  various 
streams  into  one  channel  for  a  "power  stroke"  rather  than 
allowing  these  streams  to  spread  out  in  planless  waste. 

When  a  superintendent  is  directing  the  session  where 
the  graded  lessons  are  used,  and  the  grades  are  meeting  in 
one  room  for  opening  or  closing  worship,  the  service  may 
be  constructed  about  a  worship  theme  in  which  all  may 
take  part,  and  the  departments  and  grades  may  be  called 
upon  for  recitation  of  grade  texts  or  for  a  song  or  some 
form  of  the  supplemental  work  which  they  are  pursuing. 

(ft)  To  secure  cooperation. — This  will  require  that  the 
pupils  and  teachers  be  given  some  part  in  the  program, 
that  the  exercises  have  brightness,  variety,  reverence,  dig- 
nity, swing;  that  an  atmosphere  of  interest  be  generated. 

(3)  Program  divisions. — These  are  four:  (a)  Worship. — 
This  includes  the  opening  service  of  song,  response.  Scrip- 
ture reading,  recitation  of  Scripture  portions,  and  prayer. 
Cheer,  reverence,  and  vigor  should  characterize  this. 

(&)  Business. — This  includes  essential  announcements 
and  statements  of  interest  to  all.  Brevity,  brightness,  and 
unusualness  are  needed  here.  Many  schools  place  this  item 
after  the  lesson.  It  has  alway,s  seemed  to  the  writer  that 
all  matters  of  business  should  be  disposed  of  before  the 
lesson  session. 

(c)  Instruction. — This  includes  lesson  study  and  sup- 
plemental and  drill  work. 

(d)  Impression  or  inspiration. — This  embraces  the  song 
following  the  lesson,  show  of  Bibles,  prayer,  closing  song, 
closing  Scripture  verses,  benediction,  and  silent  prayer  with 
bowed  heads  while  the  instrument  or  orchestra  plays  softly 
some  prayer-song.  In  the  graded  school  there  need  be  no 
reassembling  after  the  lesson  period. 

This  general   order   should  be   adhered   to   as   including 


130  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

fundamentals  of  the  service.    There  is  opportunity  for  large 
variety  within  these  general  divisions  of  the  program. 

(4)  Cardinal  features  of  the  program. —  (a)  Prayer. — 
Not  always  by  the  superintendent.  The  pastor,  assistant 
superintendent,  or  a  teacher  may  be  asked  to  pray,  but 
should  be  notified  a  week  in  advance,  that  careful  thought 
may  be  given  the  prayer.  It  is  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  a 
school  kneel  during  prayer.  This  is  the  custom  in  some 
schools,  particularly  in  Canada.  In  that  case  care  should 
be  taken  that  the  floors  are  clean.  Some  schools  pray  stand- 
ing. Reverence  in  prayer  comes  largely  through  the  teach- 
er's example.  The  strength  rather  than  the  length  of  the 
prayer  counts  for  most  in  the  Sunday  school.  The  one 
praying  should  keep  in  mind  brevity,  directness,  natural- 
ness, the  avoidance  of  "holy  tones,"  and  the  presentation  of 
specific  needs.  The  sick  pupil  or  teacher,  the  sorrow-touched 
home,  life  crises,  the  new  pupils,  the  departing  workers, 
the  missionary  and  mission  work,  should  be  included 
in  the  petition.  The  prayer  should  be  heard  by  all,  and 
petitions  for  the  same  things  expressed  differently  on  dif- 
ferent Sundays.  There  should  be  brief  silent  prayer  or 
vocal  prayer,  possibly  chanted,  at  opening  and  close.  The 
Episcopal  Prayer  of  General  Thanksgiving  may  be  repeated 
by  all  as  a  part  of  the  opening  service.  The  Gloria  or  Lord's 
Prayer  chanted,  following  the  general  prayer  at  the  close  of 
the  opening  service  of  worshjp,  will  be  found  effective.  Oc- 
casionally have  several  brief  prayers  at  regular  or  special 
times  by  officers  or  teachers  who  can  pray  briefly  and  to  the 
point.  Prayer  verses  may  be  distributed  to  half  a  dozen, 
and  the  petitions  read,  followed  by  the  Lord's  Prayer  sung 
or  repeated.  A  hymn  that  is  a  prayer  (such  as  "Jesus, 
Lover  of  My  Soul"  and  "I  Need  Thee  Every  Hour")  may 
be  sung  occasionally  while  all  heads  are  bowed.  Sometimes 
pupils  can  be  encouraged  to  offer  prayer  if  the  superinten- 
dent hands  them  slips  with  suggestions  of  Scripture  prayer 
verses  or  brief  forms  of  prayer  and  then  calls  upon  them 
to  respond  at  an  appropriate  place  in  the  program,  possi- 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  131 

bly  instead  of  the  usual  prayer.  Scripture  verses  can  be 
distributed  to  pupils  for  use  in  the  same  way  instead  of 
the  usual  Scripture  responses.  The  SuperintendenVs  Book 
of  Prayers,  Pell,  has  suggestive  prayers  for  each  Sunday 
and  for  special  occasion?. 

{b)  Announcements  and  reports. — To  give  these  well  re- 
quires an  advertising  instinct,  a  clear  voice,  and  such 
familiarity  with  them  that  the  outstanding  facts  can  be 
stated,  not  read.  There  may  be  an  officer  or  teacher  who 
can  do  this  work  better  than  the  superintendent.  If  so,  use 
him  or  her  for  this.  Sometimes  have  rapid-fire  notices  from 
half  a  dozen  who  are  interested  in  giving  them.  Long  no- 
tices should  be  posted  on  the  bulletin  board,  and  brief 
reference  made  to  them  from  the  desk.  Sometimes  have 
pupils  repeat  an  important  notice.  Put  announcements  oc- 
casionally in  the  form  of  questions.  Notices  for  a  very  few 
should  not  claim  the  attention  of  all.  Variety  may  be  cul- 
tivated by  such  items  as  the  pastor's  morning  text,  names 
of  honor  pupils,  introduction  of  new  teachers  and  pupils, 
Bible-bringing  improvement,  prompt  attendance,  school 
growth,  and  a  campaign  for  new  members.  The  teachers' 
roll  should  not  be  called  in  the  session.  Reports  of  at- 
tendance. Bibles,  and  offering  should  be  posted  upon  a 
blackboard  or  attendance  board,  and  not  read  by  the  sec- 
retary unless  there  is  something  of  particular  interest  to 
say. 

(c)  Lesson  reading. — Encourage  reading  the  lesson  from 
the  Bible.  There  are  many  methods  to  give  vitality  and 
interest  to  the  lesson  reading.  This  is  the  more  necessary 
as  many  pupils  come  to  the  session  with  absolutely  no 
knowledge  of  the  lesson  or  its  location.  Instead  of  the 
alternate-verse  method  usual  with  many  schools  occasion- 
ally have  the  entire  lesson  read  through  by  a  class  or  by 
a  pupil  or  teacher  with  good  reading  ability  or  by  all  the 
boys  or  the  girls  or  the  teachers;  or  the  superintendent 
might  alternate  with  the  pastor  or  with  sections  or  depart- 
ments;   or    the    superintendent,   teachers,   girls,   and   boys 


132  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

might  read  the  verses  in  turn.  Good  effects  have  come 
from  the  plan  of  all  reading  the  first  verse  aloud,  the  second 
verse  in  silence,  the  third  verse  aloud,"  etc.,  to  the  close.  In 
smaller  schools  a  pupil  or  a  class  or  a  teacher  might  be 
called  on  suddenly  to  read  the  next 'verse.  Or  the  leader 
might  read  a  part  of  the  verse  to  a  natural  break  or  be- 
fore an  important  word,  then  pause,  and  the  school  take  it 
up;  or  the  superintendent  might  read  the  question  in  the 
verse,  the  school  reading  the  answer.  The  value  of  the 
change  of  method  is  that  expectancy  is  created,  and  the  les- 
son more  deeply  impressed. 

(d)  Music,  the  review,  hlackdoard  work,  object  teach- 
ing, the  Bible  drilh  supplemental  work,  important  parts 
of  the  superintendent's  platform  and  program  work,  are 
treated  elsewhere  in  this  book,  owing  to  the  limits  of  this 
chapter. 

(5)  Printed  programs. — There  are  many  excellent  open- 
ing services  which  a  school  may  use  which  will  help  in 
varying  the  exercises,  emphasizing  themes  and  special 
days,  notably  those  in  The  Methodist  Sunday  ScJiool 
Hymnal,  Hymnal  for  American  Youth  (Century  Company), 
Hymns  of  Worship  and  Service  (Century  Company),  Wor- 
ship and  Song  (Pilgrim  Press),  and  Gloria  (Barnes). 

A  good  plan  is  for  each  school  to  make  its  own  program, 
prepared  to  fit  its  local  needs  and  arranged  so  that  those 
for  whom  it  is  prepared  will  have  a  designated  part  in  it. 
Start  with  one  program,  a  general  one,  or  build  about  a 
theme,  and  have  it  printed  upon  stiff  cardboard  with 
rounded  corners.  Call  it  Order  of  Service  Number  1  and 
use  for  a  quarter.  A  second  service  may  be  printed  upon 
the  reverse  side,  if  desired,  giving  two  for  use.  Enough 
should  be  printed  for  each  pupil  and  for  a  reserve  supply, 
as  these  services  are  likely  to  be  in  use  for  years.  Add 
other  services  year  by  year  until  a  good  variety  has  been 
provided.  From  time  to  time  make  a  change  of  program. 
These  services  should  include  several  good  hymns,  and 
the  theme  arranged  sometimes  with  subdivisions  developed 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  133 

by  careful  Scripture  selections.  Such  themes  as  "The  Law 
of  God,"  "Beatitudes  of  the  Kingdom,"  "Christian  Warfare," 
"Christian  Brotherhood,"  and  "Missions"  may  be  treated. 
Or  some  hymn  like  Matheson's  "O  Love  That  Wilt  Not  Let 
Me  Go"  may  be  used  with  Scripture  setting.  "The  Life  of 
the  Master  in  Song"  would  make  a  fine  service. 

(6)  A  prograiii  com7nittee.-;— Some  schools  have  such  a 
committee  to  plan  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  of  the 
program  or  to  arrange  for  special  features  for  other  parts 
of  the  program  or  for  special  days.  Such  committees  may 
call  upon  classes  to  be  responsible  for  the  prayer  for  cer- 
tain Sundays,  the  chairman  of  the  program  committee  con- 
ducting this  opening  service.  While  such  a  committee 
may  be  of  service  to  a  superintendent  as  a  cooperating  com- 
mittee to  ascertain  and  enlist  special  talent,  the  program^ 
in  its  forming  and  conduct,  should  be  kept  in  the  hands 
of  the  superintendent.  Entertainment  as  such  should  be 
excluded  from  the  plan  of  program  making.  The  interest 
should  be  developed  around  the  lesson  theme.  This  is 
peculiarly  the  superintendent's  responsibility,  and  the  ordi- 
nary program  committee  or  class  cannot  be  trusted,  with- 
out careful  guidance,  to  meet  this  need. 

(7)  Special  program  features. —  (a)  School  speakers. — 
He  is  a  wise  superintendent  who  knows  when  not  to  invite 
certain  visitors  to  address  the  school.  He  is  a  protector 
to  his  school  as  well  as  leader.  To  "children"  your  grown- 
up young  people  is  to  drive  them  from  the  school.  There 
are  speakers  whose  message  will  not  subtract  from  the 
lesson  impression,  and  whose  standing  and  personality  will 
make  them  welcome.  Men  worth  having  will  always  regard 
the  time  limit  of  the  program,  will  bear  in  mind  the  theme 
of  the  day,  and  will  stop  while  you  are  wishing  for  more. 

(&)  Patriotism  in  the  jjrogram. — When  the  lesson  teaches 
it,  and  on  certain  special  days,  patriotism  has  a  distinct 
place  in  the  Sunday  school.  Love  of  country  and  service 
to  that  country  in  every  line  that  shall  make  for  its  up- 
lift should  be  a  part  of  genuine  religion.     The  superinten- 


134  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

dent  should  pray  for  his  country,  and  its  flag  and  the  Chris- 
tian flag  should  frequently  be  seen  together  in  the  school 
decorations.  Frequently  an  interesting  service,  in  the 
Junior  Department  especially,  is  for  the  Christian  and  the 
national  flags  to  be  brought  to  the  platform  by  two  boys,  the 
department  standing.  The  boy  holding  the  national  stand- 
ard repeats  with  the  department  the  pledge  of  allegiance 
used  in  the  public  schools.  Then,  pointing  to  the  Chris- 
tian flag,  all  say,  "I  pledge  allegiance  to  my  flag  and  to  the 
Saviour  for  whose  kingdom  it  stands,  one  brotherhood  unit- 
ing all  mankind  in  service  and  love." 

(c)  iipecial  days. — Programs  for  "Special  Days"  will  be 
considered  in  Chapter  XXI.  Such  days  give  variety  to  the 
school  program.  Care  should  be  taken  that  such  programs 
do  not  crowd  out  the  lesson  of  the  day. 

id)  Occasional  items. — Provide  occasionally  for  class  of- 
ficers in  turn  to  present  some  live  items  of  interest  or 
progress  about  the  class  work.  The  superintendent  should 
know  how  to  seize  some  weekly  newspaper  event  and  apply 
it  to  the  lesson  or  session  at  opening,  during  the  notices,  in 
the  lesson  review,  or  at  the  close.  Once  a  quarter  provide 
for  an  open  parliament  for  questions,  suggestions  as  to 
school  improvement,  and  complaints.  Invite  capable  pupils 
to  speak  at  that  time  in  three-minute  addresses  on  items 
of  school  or  general  interest.  They  may  speak  in  response 
to  specific  questions:  How  can  we  improve  the  music? 
How  increase  our  membership?  How  increase  interest  on 
social  lines?  How  relate  our  school  to  the  community  life? 
Occasionally  install  class  officers  before  the  department  or 
school.  Invite  a  live  class  of  young  men  and  young  women 
to  take  over  the  program  for  an  entire  session. 

A  suggestive  word  in  the  department  opening  service 
may  sometimes  be  helpful  in  tying  the  title  of  the  lesson  or 
its  central  thought  to  the  theme  of  the  service  of  worship 
or  to  some  hymn  used,  but  such  words  must  be  few  and 
only  occasional.  A  blackboard  suggestive  thought  or  ques- 
tion may  help  to  build  up  to  the  lesson  thought.     Just  be- 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  135 

fore  dismissal  a  suggestive  question  relating  to  the  lesson 
of  the  following  Sunday  may  serve  to  stimulate  the  week's 
thinking  in  preparation  for  that  service. 

(8)  Division  of  time. — If  one  hour  is  the  length  of  the 
session,  a  fair  division  of  time  is  to  allow  for  the  devotional 
exercises,  Bible  or  supplemental  drill,  and  lesson  reading 
fifteen  minutes,  lesson  study  thirty-five  minutes,  closing 
service  ten  minutes.  The  time  should  be  longer.  Some 
schools  are  able  to  give  an  hour  and  a  quarter  to  an  hour 
and  a  half.  The  time  is  surely  coming  when  the  sessions 
of  the  school  will  be  held  generally  in  the  afternoon,  which 
affords  adequate  time,  or  in  the  morning,  the  church  com- 
bining with  the  Sunday  school  in  making  the  entire  morn- 
ing period  the  Bible-study  service  of  the  church.  This  will 
solve  more  than  one  problem  and  is  warranted  by  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  Sunday-school  opportunity,  and  by  the  edu- 
cational work  to  be  accomplished. 

(9)  Program  outline. — This  is  purely  suggestive,  with 
this  to  be  said — that  its  features  have  been  all  practically 
worked: 

(a)  Orchestra  or  other  musical  prelude. — To  be  con- 
cluded at  the  moment  set  for  opening;  then  doors  to  be 
closed,  and  not  opened  until  the  singing  of  a  hymn  or  the 
completion  of  the  opening  service;  all  talking  and  mov- 
ing about  to  cease. 

(ft)  Silent  prayer. — This  may  be  followed  by  sentences 
chanted  softly. 

(c)  Scripture  and  hymns  in  order  of  service  of  the  day 
or  selected  Scripture  recited  or  read.  The  first,  eighth, 
twenty-third,  and  twenty-fourth  Psalms  and  the  Beatitudes 
are  frequently  used.  Use  hymns  expressing  the  lesson 
theme. 

id)  Prayer,  followed  by  the  Lord's  Prayer  chanted  by 
school,  or  the  Gloria,  or  the  Episcopal  Prayer  of  Thanks- 
giving. 

(e)  Hymn. 

if)  Recitation  of  school  motto  and  aim,  memory  texts, 
Bible  drill,  or  supplemental  work. 

ig)  Announcements. 

(h)  Lesson  reading. 


136  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

(i)  Lesson  study. — The  offering  and  class  markings 
should  be  accomplished  in  the  first  few  moments,  and  the 
envelope  and  book  placed  at  a  point  convenient  to  the  sec- 
retary, who  should  collect  them  without  disturbing  the 
classes.  When  the  school  time  permits  it,  the  marking 
of  offering,  class  supplemental  work,  and  incidental  class 
business  may  be  given  five  minutes  following  "d"  or  "e," 
especially  when  the  teacher's  supplemental  lesson  comes  at 
that  point.  This  would  leave  the  lesson  session  undisturbed 
for  lesson  study  or  discussion. 

(/)   Five-minute  warning  signal. 

(k)  Hymn  following  brief  orchestral  or  musical  prelude 
or  processional  to  bring  classes  into  room. 

(I)   Lesson  review. 

(m)   Special  features. 

in)   Closing  sentences. 

(o)   Closing  prayer  song. 

(p)  Benediction. 

(q)  Orchestra  or  instrumental  prayer  song  played  softly, 
the  school  remaining  with  bowed  heads  until  its  con- 
clusion. 

Some  schools  find  it  an  advantage  to  break  away  from 
any  general  form  to  create  the  element  of  constant  change 
and  surprise,  yet  recognizing  the  cardinal  features  of  the 
program.  The  limitation  of  time  makes  program  compres- 
sion necessary.  Sometimes  the  best  that  can  be  done  for 
the  opening  is  silent  prayer,  recitation  of  Scripture  by  in- 
dividuals or  classes,  a  prayer  and  a  hymn.  One  school  re- 
verses the  exercises  in  order  to  help  prompt  attendance. 
The  organist  plays  for  five  minutes  before  the  school  opens. 
Then  there  are  Scripture  verses,  prayer,  and  the  lesson 
study  without  reading.  After  the  lesson  twenty  minutes 
are  given  to  responses,  songs,  and  special  features.  One 
school  whose  time  is  limited,  after  the  lesson  has  a  song, 
a  few^  verses  of  Scripture  to  deepen  the  lesson  impression, 
then  a  few  sentence  prayers,  silent  prayer,  the  Mizpah 
benediction,  and  then  a  march. 

(10)  General  suggestions  for  platform. — Be  positive,  not 
apologetic.  See  that  the  platform  is  at  the  right  angle 
as  to  light.     Keep  the  program  moving.     A  lost  minute  is 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  137 

a  lost  audience.  Keep  your  hand  on  the  throttle  valve. 
"Smile,  and  the  world  smiles  with  you."  Remember  that 
scolding  and  scalding  are  only  different  by  one  letter.  Com- 
mendation is  the  better  weapon.  Do  not  be  sentiment- 
ally "mushy."  Manly,  straight-from-the-shoulder  talking, 
counts,  but  it  should  come  straight  from  the  heart,  too.. 
Command  yourself,  and  you  will  command  the  schooL 
Never  talk  against  disorder.  The  last  person  in  th.e  room,, 
unless  deaf,  has  a  right  to  hear  you.  Details  should  have 
been  so  thoroughly  arranged  that  the  superintendent  shouldi 
not  be  needed  at  his  desk  until  the  moment  of  starting.. 
And  his  coming  should  mean  business.  Adapt  programs  to 
weather.  Sing  bright  songs  on  dark  days.  Use  other  peo- 
ple, at  times,  at  points  where  they  can  improve  upon  you. 
Have  at  least  one  surprise  feature  on  the  program  each 
Sunday.  Use  recitations  by  pupils  sparingly.  An  occasional 
recitation  by  teacher  or  pupil  of  some  strong  selection  that 
will  light  up  and  impress  the  lesson  is  O.K.  A  solo,  duet,, 
or  quartet,  with  the  right  selection,  will  have  a  fitting 
place.  A  school  choir  for  special  chants  is  recommended. 
Have  some  reserve  hymns  in  readiness.  Remember,  "Wor- 
ship is  a  life,  not  a  ceremony."  Advertise  special  features 
of  program  and  lesson  subject  occasionally  by  a  neat 
monthly  card.  Emphasize  a  special  slogan  for  each  month,, 
such  as  "New  Pupils'  Month"  (October)  and  "Get 
Acquainted  Month"  (November).  Some  schools  have  a 
monthly  rally  day.  Programs,  suggestions  for  missionary 
and  temperance  days,  for  the  summer  session,  and  for 
special  school  days,  appear  later.  Ideas  and  plans  for  the 
birthday  recognition  and  welcome  service  to  new  pupils 
appear  in  Chapter  XIV. 

2.  The  session.  (1)  Before  the  session. — Anticipate. 
That  means  a  superintendent  at  the  school  a  half  hour  be- 
fore the  program  starts,  loaded  with  his  Bible,  notebook  of 
items  requiring  attention,  his  program,  and  sundry  written 
messages  to  department  superintendents,  teachers,  and  pu- 
pils, the  product  of  home  planning,  relating  to  the  work  of 


138  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

the  day  or  to  a  score  of  things  touching  the  personal  life 
of  the  worker  or  pupil  or  to  the  school's  upbuilding.  He 
comes  from  his  knees  where  he  has  met  the  Master,  and 
those  whom  he  greets  know  it.  The  Bible  and  program  are 
placed  on  the  desk  ready  for  service.  The  messages  are 
given  to  the  secretary  or  the  aides  or  pages  for  distribution. 
The  superintendent  then  is  free  to  greet  teacher,  pupil,  the 
stranger,  and  the  new  pupil,  to  commend  an  early  class,  en- 
courage a  new  teacher,  welcome  the  sick  pupil  returned. 
The  friendly-grip  committee,  the  ushers  and  assistant  super- 
intendents, each  having  his  prescribed  work,  are  cooperat- 
ing. The  superintendent  may  have  organized  a  class  of 
"Minute  Men"  as  a  reserve  for  any  sort  of  service  and  calls 
upon  them  as  helpers  as  need  arises.  He  will  see  that  such 
details  as  heating,  ventilation,  distribution  of  class  boxes, 
class  or  record  books,  songbooks,  and  orders  of  service,  the 
posting  in  a  conspicuous  place  of  the  hymn  board,  with  the 
number  of  the  service  for  the  day,  are  attended  to,  or  that 
one  of  his  assistants  is  charged  with  responsibility  for  these 
details.  A  ten-minute  prayer  service  with  cabinet  officers  or 
teachers  before  the  session  has  been  found  a  source  of  help 
in  developing  atmosphere.  If  there  is  an  "executive"  room 
in  the  school,  the  superintendent  will  meet  here  officers, 
teachers,  and  pupils  before  and  after  the  session.  When  he 
is  not  in  the  room,  an  assistant  superintendent  should  be 
there  to  attend  to  any  inquiries.  In  that  room  should  be 
a  pigeon-hole  compartment  with  places  for  every  officer  and 
teacher,  for  messages  from  and  to  the  superintendent,  and 
especially  for  the  workers'  special  reports  to  him  of  items 
of  interest  and  concern. 

(2)  Prompt  attendance. — We  are  touching  a  sore  spot — 
the  trial  of  many  a  superintendent.  The  following  methods 
have  been  tried  with  success  to  bring  pupils  and  teachers 
on  time.  Have  a  ten-minute  song  service  or  orchestral  prac- 
tice before  the  opening.  Practice  rising  and  sitting  dur- 
ing this  time.  Give  ten  minutes  before  the  session  to  day- 
stereopticon  views  of  the  Holy  Land  or  missionary  fields. 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  13» 

This  day  stereopticon  may  be  used  to  throw  illustrated  hymns 
upon  the  screen  or  the  hymns  of  the  day  or  to  show  a  map^ 
of  the  lesson  location.  "Prompt"  tickets,  the  "On  Timers' 
Club,"  special  marks  and  even  rewards,  class  prompt-at- 
tendance contests,  praise  for  punctuality, — all  these  help. 
Pull  every  string  possible,  through  private  talk  and  public 
commendation,  to  get  the  teacher  there  five  minutes  before 
the  session.  That  will  help  the  pupils'  attendance.  One 
superintendent  promoted  promptness  by  distributing  to  alL 
as  they  entered,  previous  announcement  having  been  made,^ 
a  white  envelope  not  to  be  opened  until  called  for.  During 
the  session  he  asked  those  whose  envelopes  inclosed  white 
cards  to  arise,  then  those  whose  envelopes  held  red  cards,, 
announcing  as  the  latter  arose,  to  their  surprise  and  amuse- 
ment, "These  are  the  people  who  came  late  this  morning."" 
The  late  list  in  that  school  was  reduced  nearly  two  thirds. 
For  permanent  results  the  method  that  will  win  out  is  ta 
begin  on  time  and  with  a  service  of  worship  that  all  know 
will  have  variety  and  strength.  Close  the  doors  at  the  mo- 
ment the  school  opens  and  do  not  reopen  until  a  song  or  the 
completion  of  the  opening  service.  When  the  late  comers 
file  in,  let  the  school  wait  in  silence  until  they  are  seated. 
When  the  superintendent  is  close  to  his  teachers  and  pupils,^ 
his  suggestion,  example,  and  a  good  program  will  bring 
results. 

(3)  School  order. — Reverence  is  at  the  heart  of  order» 
Order  is  dependent  for  its  maintenance  on  the  home  train- 
ing of  the  pupil,  the  teacher's  example,  the  character  of  the 
program  presented  and  its  conduct,  and  upon  the  person- 
ality and  will  of  the  superintendent.  Order  is  not  a  ques- 
tion of  policing.  Order  procured  by  this  method  will  form 
no  setting  for  character  impressions.  It  cannot  be  pro- 
duced by  the  bell.  A  boy  in  a  certain  Sunday  school  was. 
asked  why  they  came  to  order  with  the  fifth  stroke  of  the 
bell,  and  not  with  the  first  or  second,  and  replied,  "Oh,  we 
were  waiting  for  the  fifth;  he  always  rings  five  times."  The 
pin-drop  plan  is  a  poor  method.    Some  pin  drops  have  been. 


140  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

the  signal  for  succeeding  pandemonium.  Order  is  not 
produced  by  demanding  it  or  shouting  for  it.  That  dis- 
counts the  superintendent,  and  the  echo  of  that  shout  takes 
long  to  die.  Order  is  well-regulated  activity;  not  repression 
but  interested  expression;  and  the  superintendent's  job  is 
to  keep  the  channel  open,  to  keep  the  machine  well  oiled 
with  love  and  prayer,  so  that  it  runs  and  makes  for  power. 
An  occasional  frank,  loving  school  talk  about  order,  a 
private  talk  with  teachers,  the  cooperation  of  a  school  com- 
mittee on  order  and  program,  with  a  member  in  each  class, 
will  help.  At  the  school  opening,  after  prelude  by  orchestra 
or  instrument,  or  at  a  clear  signal  from  a  bugle  or  single 
violin  or  "signal  choir"  or  quartet  or  from  the  piano  by 
chords,  the  superintendent  should  arise  and,  in  perfect 
quiet  of  manner,  perhaps  with  uplifted  hand,  and  with  eyes 
that  search  the  unquiet  spots,  wait  for  perfect  silence.  Then 
wait,  with  bowed  heads,  in  a  moment  of  silent  prayer, 
followed  by  a  chant  or  a  sentence  prayer.  This  method  will 
Insure  an  orderly  opening.  Then  keep  the  exercises  moving. 
But  at  no  time  talk  against  disorder.  This  is  the  ruin  of 
order.  A  school  will  soon  learn  the  superintendent's  will, 
and  then  only  an  occasional  suggestion  may  be  required. 
The  disorderly  boy  may  be  reached  by  a  private  frank  talk 
and  by  giving  him  something  to  do.  Isolation  in  teaching  or 
demoting  him  for  a  Sunday  may  work  a  cure.  It  should 
rarely  be  necessary  to  expel  from  the  session.  A  superin- 
tendent's personal  interest  in  some  week-day  occupation 
of  the  boy  will  usually  prove  effective.  The  late  and  talking 
teacher  is  more  likely  to  be  at  the  heart  of  disorder  than 
the  boy.  Sometimes  the  removal  of  the  platform  from  the 
end  to  the  side  of  a  long  room,  so  that  the  superintendent 
is  in  short-range  instead  of  long-range  touch  with  the 
pupils,  will  effectively  cure  disorder. 

(4)  During  the  session. — The  pastor  and  occasional 
visitors  should  find  a  place  upon  the  school  platform.  The 
new  pupil  is  recorded  by  the  secretary  and  assigned  to 
<;lass  by  the  educational  superintendent,  following  the  pu- 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  141 

pil's  choice  when  in  accordance  with  the  grading  plan. 
The  substitute  or  educational  superintendent  will  have  the 
places  of  absent  teachers  filled  from  the  substitute  list  or 
occasionally  by  competent  visitors.  During  the  lesson  the 
superintendent  will  keep  in  circulation,  watching  and  mend- 
ing weak  points.  He  sees  that  teachers  are  protected  from 
interruption,  visits  the  departments  without  interfering 
with  their  program,  drops  into  a  class  of  restless  boys  with 
a  smile  and  story  that  will  relieve  the  teacher's  tension 
and  drive  the  lesson  home,  listens  for  a  moment  to  a  class 
teacher,  sees  a  class  that  needs  readjustment  as  to  place, 
notes  a  dwindling  class  and  ascertains  the  cause,  consults 
with  an  assistant  as  to  class  and  management  problems. 
Better  divisions  of  the  classes  may  be  necessary  for  best 
teaching  results.  Occasionally  an  entire  change  of  seating 
will  tone  up  the  school.  , 

(5)  The  scliool  visitor. — A  welcome  surely  for  him  by 
the  stranger's  or  friendly-grip  committee,  a  place  in  the 
visitor's  chair,  the  inscription  of  the  name  in  the  guest 
book,  with  address  and  office  occupied,  if  any,  may  precede 
a  tour  through  the  departments,  so  that  the  classes  will 
not  be  interrupted.  The  visitor  should  be  given  the  facts 
as  to  the  school  workings  and  informing  printed  matter. 
A  card  or  letter  should  be  mailed  on  Monday  morning  ex- 
pressing the  school's  pleasure  in  the  visit  and  inviting  to 
school  membership  or  a  further  visit.  A  follow-up  visit 
to  the  home  would  be  a  good  return  call.  "Once  a  visitor 
always  a  friend,"  or  it  is  the  school's  fault.  A  school  may 
correctly  be  judged  by  its  attitude  to  the  stranger.  The 
methods  or  lack  of  methods  in  some  schools  on  this  point 
would  ruin  a  business  concern  that  applied  it. 

(6)  Dismissal. — The  organization  of  the  processionals, 
and  recessionals  of  the  session  is  important,  especially 
where  departments  or  classes  meet  for  the  service  of 
worship,  retire  for  lesson  purposes,  and  reconvene  for  the 
closing  service.  The  electric  bell  is  here  of  service  in 
giving  well-understood  signals  as  to  rising,  forming  in  line. 


142  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

and  marching.  Piano  signals  are  good,  but  the  music 
should  not  be  of  the  two-step  order  but  some  good  hymn 
written  in  march  time,  possibly  sung  by  all  present  as 
the  classes  march.  In  the  recessional  it  has  been  found 
helpful  to  organize  the  returning  classes  as  companies,  with 
captains  or  sergeants-at-arms,  seated  next  to  the  aisle. 
They  rise  at  the  first  signal,  and  the  classes  at  the  second, 
making  a  dignified  and  orderly  retirement.  Following  the 
lesson,  after  the  five-minute  warning  signal,  they  return  in 
the  same  form  to  the  music  of  the  piano  or  other  instru- 
ments. In  the  final  dismissal  the  same  form  may  be  used, 
the  pupils  returning  for  any  special  conference  with  teacher 
or  superintendent.  Dismissal  by  classes  and  sections  can 
be  well  arranged.  An  effective  dismissal  is  obtained 
through  the  plan,  suggested  under  "Program,"  of  a  closing 
sentence,  bpnediction,  and  a  prayer-song  played  by  instru- 
ments, with  the  pupils  seated  or  standing  and  with  bowed 
heads;  or,  following  the  final  song,  the  members  bow  their 
heads  at  the  uplifted  hands  of  superintendent  and,  after  a 
moment's  silence,  the  instrument  plays  softly  a  prayer- 
song.  This  will  make  for  a  quiet  dismissal.  The  distribu- 
tion of  school  papers  should  be  accomplished  as  the  mem- 
bers file  out,  and  not  during  the  session.  If  the  superinten- 
dent expects  teachers  and  pupils  to  be  at  school  on  the 
minute  of  opening,  they  have  a  right  to  expect  him  to  dis- 
miss on  the  minute  of  closing  time.  Otherwise,  the  effect 
of  the  session  will  be  lost  upon  some. 

(7)  After  the  session. — A  superintendent  who  is  not  busy 
for  some  time  after  the  service  has  likely  lost  some  oppor- 
tunities for  personal  service.  He  should  be  at  the  plat- 
form to  greet  new  pupils  and  visitors  with  a  cordial  hand- 
shake for  all.  He  has  doubtless  sent  messages  before  the 
session  to  different  pupils,  teachers,  or  officers  to  meet 
him  after  the  session  on  special  business.  He  has  an  in- 
quiry of  a  pupil  as  to  teaching  service  or  a  word  of  tender 
interest  as  to  decision  for  Christ,  possibly  a  prayer  for  the 
pupil.     A  committee  is  to  be  met  or  an  executive  session 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  143 

held.  Letters  on  school  matters  may  be  dictated  to  the 
school  stenographer.  A  twenty-minute  teachers'  or  pupils' 
prayer-and-testimony  service  may  be  planned  for.  Many 
precious  results  have  been  obtained  in  such  little  meetings. 
On  many  a  Sunday  as  he  goes  to  his  home  he  will  have  a 
new  and  sweet  understanding  of  the  weary  Christ,  who  gave 
his  uttermost  to  men. 

3.  The  summer  session.  (1)  The  summer  problem. — 
The  fact  that  fully  50  per  cent  of  the  enrollment  of  the 
average  city  Sunday  school  remains  in  the  city  throughout 
the  summer,  and  that  the  devil  is  at  that  time  holding  his 
revival  services  is  sufficient  reason  for  the  Sunday  school 
to  remain  open.  Were  the  attendance  but  10  per  cent  of 
the  enrollment,  the  school  should  still  remain  open.  The 
experience  of  many  schools  that  have  aroused  themselves 
to  meet  the  summer  problem  has  demonstrated  the  fact; 
that  success  just  here  is  a  matter  of  planning  and  grit. 

But  there  is  a  duty  also  owing  the  school  in  sustaining  its 
interest  through  continuous  sessions  and  thus  launching 
it  full  upon  its  fall  work.  The  only  question  that  should 
be  before  the  superintendent  and  school  with  reference  to 
the  summer  sessions  is  how  to  make  them  so  attractive 
that  the  full  attendance  of  all  members  who  are  in  the  city 
may  be  assured. 

,  (2)  How  to  meet  it. — Make  no  mention  in  the  school  of 
expectation  of  a  drop-off  because  of  the  summer.  Ascertain 
early,  on  cards,  the  names  and  addresses  of  all  teachers 
and  pupils  who  intend  to  be  out  of  town  and  the  length  and 
time  of  their  expected  period  of  absence.  Send  to  such 
pupils,  before  they  leave,  a  letter  inclosing  a  vacation  card 
to  be  marked  at  the  school  they  may  attend,  an  envelope  for 
their  vacation  school  offering,  and  an  outline  of  suggested 
Bible  readings  for  the  summer.  Those  pupils  who  plan  to 
be  in  the  city  should  receive  a  card  attractively  setting 
forth  the  summer  plans.  Appoint  the  following  commit- 
tees or  assign  their  duties  to  one  or  two  committees:  (a) 
Comfort  and  decoration  committee,  to  plan  for  ice  water. 


144  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Iced  lemonade  occasionally  or  regularly,  fans,  ventilation, 
and  shading  of  rooms,  pictures  for  walls,  flag,  and  other 
decoration.  (&)  Flower  committee,  to  arrange  for  plants, 
palms,  and  flowers.  The  latter  may  be  brought  by  classes 
In  their  turn  or  furnished  by  the  school  and  a  flower  given 
to  each  attending  pupil  or  sent  to  the  sick,  (c)  Absentee 
committee,  to  visit  absentees  who,  according  to  their  card 
statement  of  intention,  are  in  town.  (cZ)  Literature  com- 
mittee, to  keep  in  circulation  some  fresh  books  and  maga- 
zines and  papers  of  special  interest  to  young  people,  (e) 
Reception  committee,  to  greet  pupils  and  strangers.  (/) 
Program  and  advertising  committee,  to  assist  the  superin- 
tendent in  providing  interesting  program  features  and  ad- 
vertising these  in  the  local  paper,  special  school  paper,  bul- 
letin, and  in  card  form.  The  pastor  should  give  good  heart 
to  the  summer  work  by  arousing  congregational  support  of 
it,  by  teaching  in  some  of  the  sessions,  and  by  encouraging 
teachers  to  stand  by  their  classes  during  the  season. 

(3)  The  summer  session. — Schools  that  have  attained 
the  largest  summer  success  have  brought  the  session  within 
an  hour  and  a  quarter,  and  usually  within  an  hour.  The 
lesson  has  been  sacredly  given  from  twenty  minutes  to 
half  an  hour.  The  other  program  items  are  varied,  and 
the  surprise  element  introduced  through  at  least  one  new 
feature  each  Sunday.  Much  should  be  made  of  the  musi^, 
and  the  orchestra  impressed  into  service  wherever  possible. 
The  lessons  of  the  summer  should  ^be  arranged,  and  the 
program  features  be  based,  wherever  possible,  on  the  lesson 
subjects.  Sometimes  places  in  these  lessons  are  outstand- 
ing, and  a  map  journey  may  be  arranged  in  story  form 
for  each  week;  or  a  "hero  summer"  may  be  planned  about 
the  principal  lesson  characters,  or  events  may  be  pictured. 

At  times  the  classes  of  the  department  or  school  have 
been  combined,  and  the  lesson  taught  from  the  desk  by 
pastor,  superintendent,  or,  in  turn,  by  the  teachers.  Object 
teaching,  map  drills,  and  chalk  talks  in  lesson  illustration 
have  been  used.    Supplemental  Bible  drills,  the  learning  of 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  145 

new  hymns,  salute  to  flag  with  the  story  of  flag,  phonograph 
solo  or  quartet,  letters  from  absent  ofiicers  and  teachers, 
stereopticon  Illustrations  of  lesson,  a  solo  or  duet,  and 
recitations  have  been  used  helpfully  as  summer  features. 

Some  schools,  such  as  the  Chester  Hill  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Sunday  School,  of  Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  put 
the  lesson  places  upon  a  trip-ticket  form,  the  last  coupon 
entitling  the  holder,  who  must  have  attended  the  school 
during  the  summer,  to  a  full  entertainment  with  refresh- 
ments. Special  missionary  lessons  are  planned  for  sum- 
mer use  as  a  part  of  the  graded  lessons.  At  the  Second 
Baptist  Church  of  Rochester  the  story  of  "Pilgrim's 
Progress,"  illustrated  with  slides,  was  made  a  weekly  Sun- 
day summer  feature.  The  stereopticon  was  also  used  in 
that  school  to  throw  upon  the  screen  each  Sunday  the 
two  "search  questions"  of  the  lesson,  and  pupils  who  an- 
swered these  correctly  through  the  summer  received  a 
souvenir  on  Rally  Day.  The  classes  in  turn  could  be  made 
responsible  for  the  opening  service  in  selecting  Scripture 
and  hymns,  and  for  the  introduction  of  special  features,  the 
teacher  presiding.  In  a  New  York  school  the  absent  pupils 
send  weekly  to  the  teacher  their  thoughts  on  the  lesson.  The 
thought  voted  best  by  the  class  is  sent  to  the  superintendent 
and  read,  and  the  point  voted  by  the  school  as  the  best 
of  all  the  classes  is  rewarded.  The  advertisement  of  the 
sessions  by  weekly  or  monthly  season  cards  is  an  important 
element.  Such  cards  may  combine  a  suggestion  of  the 
program  with  a  bright  putting  of  the  telling  school  fea- 
tures and  breathing  a  spirit  of  welcome.  One  school  gave 
fifteen  minutes  at  the  close  each  Sunday  to  missionary 
travel  talks  with-  slides  on  Mexico,  Panama,  the  Canal, 
Colombia,  and  other  parts  of  South  America.  These  slides 
can  be  obtained  from  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  de- 
nomination. 

The  Methodist  school  at  Saint  Clair,  Missouri,  largely 
increased  both  summer  attendance  and  offerings  through 
competitive  boys'  and  girls'  Sundays  in  the  summer.     On 


146  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

girls'  Sunday  the  girls  decorated  the  room,  secured  the 
attendance,  and  conducted  the  program  throughout.  Teach- 
ers advised  with  the  committees,  and  three  men,  not  mem- 
bers of  the  Sunday  school,  acted  as  judges.  For  the  best 
program  twenty  points  were  allowed,  for  the  best  decora- 
tions twenty  points,  for  the  largest  attendance  thirty  points, 
and  for  the  largest  offering  thirty  points.  The  girls  adopted 
the  tag  plan  to  secure  attendance  for  their  Sunday.  The 
boys  placed  five  advertisements  in  the  local  paper.  The 
boys  won  out. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  at  Yonkers, 
New  York,  has  made  a  wonderful  success  of  its  summer 
loyalty  campaign.  It  issues  a  folder  giving  a  complete  pro- 
gram for  each  summer  Sunday.  The  motto  is:  "Remember 
the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it  holy."  The  aim  is  "to  make  the 
summer  memorable  for  continuous  loyalty  throughout  every 
department  of  our  school."  Names  of  the  general  cam- 
paign committee  and  of  the  committee  for  each  Sunday  are 
printed.  The  program  is  headed,  "One  dozen  live  programs 
for  a  live  summer  in  a  live  Sunday  school."  Program 
feature's,  beginning  with  the  last  Sunday  in  June,  are:  (a) 
Enrollment  Day,  to  enroll  all  who  propose  to  go  through 
the  campaign.  Cards  are  distributed  to  be  punched  each 
Sunday.  (&)  Independence  Day,  on  which  two  of  the 
classes  took  charge  and  presented  each  one  present  with  a 
flag.  (c)  Cradle  Roll  and  Primary  Day.  (d)  Young 
Women's  Day,  with  solos  by  the  young  women  and  an  ad- 
dress by  the  Y.  W.  C,  A.  secretary,  (e)  Flower  Sunday, 
with  a  class  display  of  flowers,  a  buttonhole  bouquet  to  be 
worn  by  all,  and  the  distribution  of  flowers  to  sick.  (/) 
Poem  Sunday.  Each  member  is  to  contribute  an  original 
poem  on  "Our  Class,"  the  best  to  be  read,  (g)  Home  De- 
partment Day,  in  charge  of  the  Home  Department  superin- 
tendent and  members,  (h)  Letter  Sunday.  Picture  post 
cards  from  absent  members  are  displayed,  and  letters  read. 
(i)  Bible  Verse  Hide-and-Seek  Sunday.  Each  class  passes 
in  a  verse.     These  are  read,  and  the  class  finding  it  first 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  147 

arise  and  reads  it.  The  class  members  finding  the  most 
verses  are  all  decorated  with  white  badges,  (j)  Memory 
Verse  Sunday.  Those  who,  between  July  1  and  August  26, 
recite  the  greatest  number  of  memory  verses,  the  twenty- 
third  Psalm,  and  the  Beatitudes  are  especially  honored. 

At  the  Bushwick  Avenue  School,  Brooklyn,  last  summer 
a  summer-school  superintendent  was  appointed,  and  the 
school  met  in  two  groups:  Beginners'  and  Primary;  and 
Juniors,  Intermediates,  and  Seniors.  The  slogan  was  "God 
knows  no  seasons."  In  turn  the  leaders  of  each  depart- 
mental group  became  responsible  for  the  program  for  the 
day,  letters  to  parents  were  sent,  the  plan  was  well  adver- 
tised on  a  streamer  in  front  of  the  building  and  in  the  press, 
and  bulletins  were  issued.  The  attendance  was  nearly 
double  that  of  the  previous  summer. 

The  Twenty-third  Avenue  Presbyterian  Sunday  School 
of  Denver  had  a  summer  program  booklet  distributed  the 
last  Sunday  in  June  with  the  plan  for  each  Sunday,  (a) 
Conquest  Sunday,  (h)  Good  Samaritan  Sunday,  with  the 
Red  Cross  flag  and  emphasis,  (c)  Home  Mission  Sunday. 
(d)  Song  Sunday,  (e)  Colorado  Sunday.  (/)  Emancipa- 
tion Day,  with  colored  quartet,  (g)  Flower  Day,  with  a 
reward  for  the  best  product  of  garden  and  most  beautiful 
bouquet,  (h)  Living  Link  Sunday,  with  letters  from  mis- 
sionaries, school  students  in  foreign  field,  (i)  Loyalty 
Sunday,  with  pennants,  flags,  and  emphasis  upon  loyalty  to 
country,  day  school,  and  Sunday  school.  The  lesson  for  the 
day  was  never  omitted. 

In  the^  Simpson  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  of 
Minneapolis  the  Sundays  were:  (a)  Flag  Day.  (b)  Flowers 
and  pictures  of  flowers,  (c)  Boys'  Day.  (d)  Bird  Day.  (e) 
Mountain  and  Sea  Day.  (/)  Girls'  Day.  (g)  Harvest  Day. 
(h)  "Making  a  Record"  Sunday,  (i)  Fruit  Day.  Scripture 
was  used  covering  each  topic. 

The  Philadelphia  Sunday  School  Association  promoted 
through  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  city  a  city-wide  ob- 
servance of  special  days  in  the  summer  program.     A  pro- 


148  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

gram  was  printed  and  issued  to  the  schools  for:  July  3, 
"National  Day";  July  10,  "Memory  Day";  July  17,  "Phila- 
delphia Day";  July  24,  "Church  Hymn  Day";  July  31, 
"Service  Day";  August  7,  "Surprise  Day";  August  14,  "Bi- 
ble Day";  August  21,  "World  Wide  Day";  August  28,  "God 
of  the  Open  Air";  September  4,  "Labor  Day";  September  11, 
"  'What  Have  We  Done?'  Day."  On  Memory  Day  the  entire 
program  was  rendered  from  memory.  On  Service  Day  the 
Scouts,  Christian  Endeavor,  or  Young  People's  Society  and 
organized  classes  told  what  they  were  doing. 

(4)  Recognition  of  summ'er  attendance. — Among  sug- 
gested forms  may  be  named:  Monthly  stereopticon  or  mov- 
ing pictures  on  a  week  evening.  Church-film  and  other  cor- 
porations are  specializing  on  films  for  church  and  Sunday- 
school  use.  Missionary  films  are  now  available  through 
the  foreign  missionary  societies.  Weekly  class  outings.  A 
monthly  or  midsummer  excursion,  possibly  a  combination 
with  other  schools,  pupils  being  given  free  ice  cream,  lemon- 
ade, or  melons.  Special  souvenirs.  The  class  with  the  best 
summer  record  to  be  given  an  auto  ride  and  a  special  place 
of  honor  on  Rally  Day.  Swimming  tickets  for  the  boys 
at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  or  elsewhere.  A  badge  to  be  won  on 
Rally  Day  by  all  absent  not  more  than  two  Sundays  of  the 
summer. 

(5)  Methods  for  promoting  interest. — Offer  a  prize  for 
the  best  plans  to  promote  a  successful  summer  session. 
Absent  summer  pupils  should  send  weekly  souvenir  post 
cards  to  their  teachers,  these  post  cards  to  be  mounted  in  a 
class  group  and  exhibited  at  a  school  post-card  social  in  the 
fall,  and  absentees  to  tell  their  experiences.  Summer  attend- 
ance contests  between  schools  are  frequently  promotive  of 
good  results.  Outdoor  sessions  have  everything  in  their 
favor.  Special  handwork  for  the  summer  has  a  value  within 
limits.  During  the  summer  new  wall  pictures  and  mottoes 
should  be  added,  or  the  old  one  shifted,  and  class  and  de- 
partment rooms  brightened  in  preparation  for  the  fall. 
A  boys'  camp  or  summer  home,  conducted  by  the  school 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  149 

or  by  classes,  would  be  a  good  investment  in  gripping  young 
people  and  their  homes.  The  church  and  school  should 
provide  grounds  for  baseball,  tennis,  croquet,  and  outdoor 
athletics  for  the  young  people.  To  get  the  best  summer 
results  will  cost,  but  the  increased  offerings  will  ordinarily 
cover  this  cost;  and  if  not,  the  investment  has  been  among 
the  best  in  the  school's  career. 

Absent  teachers  and  pupils  may  send  post  cards  to  depart- 
ment or  school  secretary  to  be  exhibited  in  the  school  vesti- 
bule and  afterward  arranged  in  album  form.  A  correspond- 
ing secretary  may  keep  in  a  vacation  book  the  addresses 
of  all  away,  and,  once  or  twice  during  the  summer,  send  a 
school  greeting,  encouraging  the  pupil  to  visit  other  schools, 
and  to  report,  the  best  of  these  reports  to  be  read  for  the 
school  interest.  An  early-morning  session  has  been  found 
helpful  for  a  change.  In  the  writer's  school  the  session  has 
been  maintained  at  two-thirty,  summer  and  winter.  It 
has  been  felt  unwise  to  make  a  change  that  would  leave 
the  summer  Sunday  afternoon  open  to  the  pull  of  the  many 
pleasure  attractions  that  throng  the  section. 

The  parade  of  the  local  school  or  schools  just  before  the 
summer  or  at  its  close  will  be  inspirational.  Many  towns 
and  cities  are  now  doing  this,  following  the  annual  custom 
of  the  Brooklyn  Sunday  School  Union,  which  has  in  line 
in  its  June  parade  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  Sun- 
day-school members. 

The  possibilities  of  the  summertime  in  helping  forward 
Christian  decisions  through  the  close  fellowship  promoted 
among  the  pupils  are  not  to  be  minimized. 

Some  schools  have  held  forget-me-not  socials.  The  names 
and  addresses  of  ten  of  those  who  will  be  at  home  for  the 
summer  are  given  by  lot  to  each  one  who  is  going  away  in 
order,  first,  to  make  their  acquaintance,  and  then  to  bring 
for  each  of  the  ten  to  the  fall  social  a  simple,  inexpensive 
remembrance  found  by  the  pupils  who  write.  At  the  social 
these  ten  are  grouped,  and  the  remembrance  given,  to- 
gether with  the  story  connected  with  it. 


150  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

The  H.  W.  B.  of  A.  (Hot  Weather  Brigade  of  Augustin- 
ians)  has  been  formed  in  several  schools  for  the  summer 
campaign.  The  members  wear  badges  or  buttons,  have 
their  summer  outings,  baseball  team,  and  a  treat  in  the 
autumn. 

(6)  The  absent  teacher. — This  is  a  serious  problem  both 
as  to  the  teacher  who  will  be  out  of  town  and  the  teacher 
who  stays  at  home  because  only  a  few  of  the  class  are  ex- 
pected out.  For  the  latter  the  superintendent  should  pray. 
A  leaflet  such  as  "My  Class  for  Jesus"  and  an  earnest, 
kindly  talk  may  bring  to  such  a  realization  of  the  value  of 
a  single  soul.  The  superintendent  should  present  to  the 
former,  alone  or  as  a  part  of  the  teachers'  body,  the  neces- 
sity of  supplying  a  substitute  for  the  class  and  of  introduc- 
ing that  substitute  to  the  class  before  leaving.  Sometimes 
a  teacher  may  make  an  arrangement  with  another  teacher 
for  the  care  of  the  combined  classes  while  absent  and  the 
marking  of  the  pupils.  If  neither  can  be  done,  the  super- 
intendent must  have  recourse  to  the  substitute  list,  the 
teacher-training  class,  or  a  young  people's  or  adult  class 
whose  teacher  expects  to  be  away  and  who  will  be  willing 
to  help  for  the  summer.  The  Epworth  League  or  a  similar 
organization  may  be  willing  to  serve  in  this  way.  Some 
class  may  be  willing  to  study  the  lesson  one  week  in  ad- 
vance in  order  to  be  ready.  Such  substitute  teachers  should 
be  recognized  in  some  public  way  at  the  close  of  the  sum- 
mer. 

The  teacher  should  be  urged  whether  away  or  at  home 
to  keep  in  touch  with  the  pupils  through  letter  or  souvenir 
post  card,  asking  questions  on  the  lesson,  encouraging  the 
absent  pupils  to  write  letters  or  to  send  cards  for  the  class 
interest. 

Bibliography 

How  to  Conduct  a  Sunday  School,  Lawrance. 
The  Manual  for  Training  in  Worship,  Hartshorne. 
The  Sunday  School  at  Work,  Faris. 


PROGRAM  AND  SESSION  151 


Topics  for  Special  Study 


1.  Sunday-school   programs. 

2.  Summer  Sunday  schools. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  chief  purpose  of  the  program? 

2.  What  are  its  four  main  divisions? 

3.  Should  prayer  in  the  Sunday  school  be  spontaneous 
or  prepared?  . 

4.  Give  several  plans  for  maintaining  school  order. 

5.  Give  the  chief  items  in  a  well-balanced  program. 

6.  How  may  a  superintendent  create  atmosphere  and  suc- 
cess for  the  session? 

7.  How  can  he  best  employ  his  time  in  the  lesson  period? 

8.  What  shall  be  the  division  of  time  of  the  session? 

9.  State  the  most  important  points  concerning  the  work 
of  the  superintendent  during  the  session. 

10.  Give  several  features  of  a  live  summer  session. 


CHAPTER  X 
PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION 

1.  Bible  drills.  How  to  get  the  Bible  into  the  memory 
and  life  of  the  pupil  is  an  important  element  in  our  task. 
The  teacher's  responsibility  for  this  task  is  shared  by  the 
superintendent.  Through  effective  platform  drills  the  super- 
intendent can  be  a  helper  to  the  teacher.  This  drill  work 
may  and  should  include  the  supplemental  work  treated 
in  another  chapter  or  it  may  include  other  material.  It 
should  be  done  as  a  part  of  the  supplemental  drill  work 
where  the  drill  material  does  not  form  a  part  of  the  open- 
ing service.  The  blackboard  will  be  a  valuable  accessory 
in  the  use  of  diagrams  and  outlines.  A  Bible  drill  pre- 
supposes the  Bible  in  the  hands  of  the  pupils.  This  may 
not  mean  the  exclusion  of  the  lesson  helps  from  the  school 
session,  for  they  may  have  their  use  in  matters  of  refer- 
ence; but  the  Bible  should  be  given  prominence  in  use. 
One  of  the  school  objectives  should  be  "A  Bible  in  the  hands 
of  every  teacher  and  pupil,"  certainly  of  all  pupils  above 
the  Primary  Department.  Many  schools  have  made  this 
their  ideal,  and  wonders  can  be  accomplished  by  persistence. 
These  suggestions  are  made  to  help  bring  this  about: 

(1)  Methods  to  encourage  Bihle  bringing. —  (a)  Bring 
your  own  Bible  and  use  it.  (&)  Ask  the  teachers  and  pu- 
pils to  bring  and  use  theirs  in  the  lesson  reading  and 
study,  (c)  Present  Bibles  in  the  Primary  Department  as 
awards,  (d)  Sell  to  those  who  have  not  so  earned  them,  if 
necessary  below  cost,  (e)  Have  classes  rise  when  each 
one  in  the  class  has  brought  a  Bible.  (7i)  Put  upon  the 
blackboard  lists  of  such  classes  for  the  previous  Sunday. 
(i)  Have  the  weekly  school  report  show  the  number  of 
Bibles  brought  in  each   department  and  in  the  school  as 

152 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  153 

a  whole,  (j)  Use  the  Bibles  in  reading  selected  Psalms 
and  passages  and  for  the  Bible  drill,  (k)  Place  the  Bible 
lesson  reference  on  the  blackboard,  so  that  pupils  can  be 
ready.  (I)  Teachers  can  ask  pupils  to  find  references  from 
their  Bibles,  (m)  Have  a  Bible  roll  call  of  classes,  each 
class  responding  with  the  number  of  Bibles,  answering 
"All"  for  a  complete  number.  There  can  be  no  finer  con- 
tribution to  the  pupil's  life  than  to  inspire  a  love  for  and  to 
cultivate  the  daily  use  of  the  Bible.  The  little  girl  was  not 
far  wrong  when  she  said  she  first  learned  to  love  her 
teacher,  then  her  teacher's  Bible,  then  her  teacher's  Christ. 
(2)  Suggested  plans  of  Bible  marking. — The  Bible  pre- 
sented in  the  Primary  Department  should  be  replaced  later 
on  by  a  well-bound  rice-paper  copy  "for  keeps,"  with  helps 
and  marginal  references — the  American  Revised  Version, 
of  course.  Suggest  the  inscription  in  the  Bible  of  the  name 
and  life  text,  the  date  of  life  decision  and  joining  church, 
times  of  special  blessings,  and  important  life  steps.  Special 
verses  should  be  marked  or  underlined  with  initial  and 
name,  those  especially  which  have  been  tested  and  have 
brought  personal  help  and  blessing;  such  verses,  for  in- 
stance, as  Matt.  7.  7;  2  Cor.  9.  8.  The  Bible  books  may 
be  marked  with  appropriate  names,  such  as  Heb.  11:  "The 
Faith  Chapter."  Rich  suggestions  as  to  these  may  be 
found  in  the  leaflet  Chapters  of  Pure  Gold,  Yatman  (Flem- 
ing H.  Revell  Company),  and  Chapters  of  Blessing  From 
the  Book  of  Life,  Henderson  (The  Methodist  Book  Con- 
cern). In  The  Bible  Marksman,  by  Amos  R.  Wells  (United 
Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  Boston)  and  Amos  R.  Wells 
Bible  Memory  Helpers  (Goodenough  and  Woglom  Com- 
pany, New  York)  are  excellent  suggestions  as  to  Bible  mark- 
ing. But  any  system,  self-developed  or  suggested,  which 
will  make  the  Bible  more  fully  the  personal  possession  of 
the  pupil  is  the  one  to  be  desired.  The  rainbow  bookmarks 
are  much  in  use  among  the  juniors.  They  consist  of  eight 
narrow  strips  of  ribbon  representing  the  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow, with  the  addition  of  white.     The  first  ribbon  is  placed 


154  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

in  the  Bible  at  Pentateuch,  the  next  at  the  prophets,  and 
so  on,  the  white  marking  the  division  between  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments.  These  bookmarks  can  be  made  easily 
from  ribbon  and  will  be  found  a  valuable  aid  in  Bible-drill 
work. 

(3)  Drill  suggestions. — The  following  are  mere  sugges- 
tions of  procedure.  The  form  of  questioning  is  subject  to 
large  variation,  and  the  material  is  simply  suggestive  of 
the  wealth  at  hand  in  the  Book  we  use.  Find  in  turn  the 
Ten  Commandments,  Solomon's  prayer,  the  Shepherd 
Psalm,  Moses'  psalm^,  Isaiah's  description  of  the  Messiah,  the 
great  commandment,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  Beati- 
tudes, the  Magnificat,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  Christ's  last  com- 
mand, the  first  account  of  Paul's  conversion,  Paul's  speech 
on  Mars'  Hill,  his  gallery  of  faith  heroes,  his  chapter  on  love, 
John's  Epistle  to  the  seven  churches,  and  his  description 
of  the  Eternal  City. 

Find  the  longest  verse  in  the  Bible,  the  shortest  verse, 
the  longest  chapter,  four  verses  alike  (Psa.  107.  8,  15,  21, 
31);  two  chapters  alike  (2  Kings  19  and  Isa.  37);  the  rest 
verse  (Matt.  11.  28);  the  greatest  verse  (John  3.  16);  the 
last  command  (Acts  1.  8). 

Find  the  verse  "All  have  sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the 
glory  of  God."  Where?  Find  a  verse  on  love;  prayer; 
faith;  temperance;  missions. 

Or  try  an  exercise  in  the  rapid  finding  of  such  passages 
as  Psa.  91.  1;  Matt.  11.  18;  1  Tim.  1.  18;  Josh.  1.  9;  Dan.  12. 
3;  Deut.  20.  4;  Psa.  119.  65;  Gal.  6.  2;  John  3.  16.  Care- 
ful additions  to  these  texts  will  give  pupils  a  Bible  quiver 
filled  with  choice  texts  for  life-long  use. 

A  rapid  finding  of  special  chapters  will  be  good,  such  as 
the  sin  chapter  (Rom.  3) ;  the  atonement  chapter  (Isa.  53) ; 
the  new-birth  chapter  (John  3)  ;  the  salvation  chapter 
(Rom.  10);  the  light  chapter  (John  9);  the  purity  chapter 
(Ezek.  36) ;  the  love  chapter  (1  Cor.  13) ;  the  abiding  chap- 
ter (John  15) ;  the  resurrection  chapter  (1  Cor.  15) ;  the 
best  chapter  (John  14). 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  155 

In  memory  work  there  are  many  interesting  drills,  such 
as  the  alphabetical  drill:  A:  "All  have  sinned"  (Rom.  3. 
23);  B:  "Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world!"  (John  1.  29) ;  C:  "Come  unto  me"  (Matt. 
11.  28)  ;  D:  "Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh  to 
you"  (James  4.  8);  E:  "Enter  ye  in  by  the  narrow  gate" 
(Matt.  7.  13).  Or  Bible  characters  can  be  fitted  into  the 
alphabetical  plan,  and  the  pupils  give  the  name  and  first 
Bible  reference  to  them.  Classes  or  pupils  can  be  asked 
in  turn  to  bring  in  on  the  following  Sunday  verses  begin- 
ning with  succeeding  letters  in  the  alphabet,  and  the  drill 
made  on  these.  This  will  interest  pupils  in  selecting  the 
best  verses.  Under  this  head  comes  the  calling  for  the 
recitation  of  pivotal  texts,  the  superintendent  giving  the 
location  as  to  book,  chapter,  and  verse.  Every  school 
should  have  several  such  verses  with  which  every  pupil 
should  be  as  familiar  as  his  own  name.  These  should  be 
in  card  form  for  insertion  in  Bible. 

Drills  on  the  Bible  itself  are  many,  covering  names  of 
the  Bible,  languages  in  which  it  was  written,  names  and 
number  of  Bible  books,  the  meaning  of  these  books,  di- 
vision as  to  Testaments;  division  as  to  prophecy,  his- 
torical books,  and  poetry;  the  bounding  of  Bible  books  (the 
book  before  and  after  the  one  given). 

The  memorizing  of  selected  Bible  chapters  and  hymns 
under  the  stimulus  of  special  rewards  or  acknowledgment 
is  done  in  many  schools,  and  the  recitation  of  these  by 
pupils  or  classes  in  the  school  session  is  stimulating.  Some 
of  these  schools  give  out  card  folders  for  a  quarter  or  year, 
in  which  the  memory  chapters,  verses  and  hymns  are  in 
full  or  indicated.  Usually  it  is  better  to  have  the  work  re- 
quired of  all,  and  the  pupil  marked  for  it  as  a  part  of  the 
regular  system,  the  reward  to  come  in  the  promotion  with 
an  honor  seal.  In  the  junior  age,  especially,  drill  and 
memory  work  is  a  delightful  exercise,  but  should  be  con- 
ducted in  a  bright  way.  Indeed,  the  junior  age  is  the  one 
in  which  the  best  work  can  be  done  in  memorization. 


156  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  of  Yonkers, 
New  York,  had  a  Hide-and-Seek  Verse  Contest  Sunday.  The 
superintendent  gave  out  a  verse,  and  the  members  of  the 
class  first  finding  it  arose  and  read  the  verse  and  location. 
That  scored  a  point.  The  classes  with  the  most  points 
were  decorated  with  white  ribbons.  This  Sunday  school 
also  had  a  Memory  Verse  Sunday,  the  pupil  with  the  best 
record  for  a  period  being  given  a  pocket  Testament. 

What  great  men  have  said  about  the  Bible  makes  a  fine 
drill.  The  leader  calls  the  name  of  the  person  quoted,  and 
someone  reads  or  recites  the  statement.  (The  American 
Bible  Society,  New  York  City,  has  these  statements  in 
pamphlet  form.) 

2.  Blackboard  work.  (1)  Learning  to  use  the  black- 
board.— As  teaching  through  the  eye  gate  is  much  more 
effective  than  through  the  ear  gate,  it  behooves  the  super- 
intendent to  qualify  as  a  user  of  the  blackboard.  He  may 
have  no  artistic  skill  and  possibly  no  ability  to  draw  even 
a  straight  line;  but  if  he  will  sit  down  for  an  hour  with 
The  Blackboard  Class  for  Primary  Sunday  School  Teachers, 
Darnell,  he  will  rise  with  a  new  sense  of  his  capacity.  And 
that  confidence  will  be  increased  as  he  browses  in  Pencil 
Points  for  Preacher  and  Teacher,  Pierce,  and  Pictured 
Truth  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Company);  The  Blackboard  in 
Sunday  School,  Bailey  (Wilde) ;  Plain  Use  of  the  Black- 
board and  Slate,  Crafts  (The  Methodist  Book  Concern) ; 
Chalk,  Wood   (Fleming  H.  Revell  Company). 

(2)  Blackboard  material.— Ususdly  it  is  better  to  use  the 
bright-colored  chalks  and  to  print  the  letters  rather  than 
write  them,  so  that  the  pupil  farthest  back  can  see.  It  is 
better  that  the  blackboard  be  stationary,  with  double  space 
if  possible,  in  a  clear  stretch,  or  one  board  running  over 
the  other  in  grooves.  This  will  enable  one  board  to  be  used 
for  announcements,  reports,  and  class  records,  and  the 
other  to  be  kept  for  special  uses.  A  portable  blackboard 
with  double  surface  may  be  procured  cheaply,  or  slate-sur- 
faced canvas  or  heavy  Manila  paper  may  be  used. 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  157 

(3)  Blackboard  uses. — The  barest  mark  or  outline  placed 
upon  the  blackboard  in  connection  with  the  spoken  word 
attracts  the  attention  and  aids  in  impressing  the  truth  and 
storing  it  away  effectively  in  memory's  gallery.  The  sim- 
pler that  outline  the  better.  A  blackboard  artist  in  the 
school  may  put  the  lesson  thought  in  pictured  form  upon 
the  board,  a  paper  tacked  over  it  to  be  taken  off  at  the 
moment  of  review.  A  question  aimed  at  the  heart  of  the 
lesson  may  be  placed  on  the  board  at  the  beginning  of  the 
service  to  suggest  thought  and  discussion.  An  outline  map 
that  will  include  the  lesson  locality  may  be  swiftly  drawn. 
For  Palestine  draw  just  the  coast  line  and  the  three  bodies 
of  water  connected  by  the  river  Jordan.  With  a  little  prac- 
tice this  can  be  done  in  a  few  seconds.  A  pupil  may  be 
asked  to  mark  upon  the  map  the  lesson  location.  Events 
and  journeys  may  also  be  noted.  The  board  is  valuable  for 
Bible-drill  work,  such  as  is  suggested  in  the  previous  sec- 
tion, in  Bible  divisions  and  in  Bible  acrostics.  In  review 
work  a  few  bold  words  placed  on  the  board  while  the 
superintendent  talks  will  serve  every  purpose  of  holding 
attention. 

3.  Object  teaching.  (1)  Its  ejfectiveness. — The  Bible 
is  our  warrant  for  the  use  of  objects  in  teaching  the  truth. 
The  tabernacle  and  its  appurtenances  and  the  Temple  were 
object  methods  concerning  sins,  atonement,  cleansing,  God's 
holiness.  Christ  continually  used  this  method,  in  his  para- 
bles of  the  lily  of  the  field,  the  sparrow,  seed  sowing,  the 
ripened  harvest,  the  fig  tree,  the  mustard  seed,  and  the 
little  child  in  the  midst.  The  public  school  of  to-day  makes 
large  use  of  this  method  of  eye  teaching.  The  ease  with 
which  attention  can  be  gained  and  held  in  object  teaching 
points  a  possible  danger  in  its  overuse  and  in  such  a  use 
of  it  that  the  real  lesson  to  be  conveyed  shall  be  obscured 
by  the  object  itself.  Its  advantages  are,  however,  so  ob- 
vious that  a  wise  superintendent  will  seek  to  make  the 
largest  possible  use  of  it  consistent  with  best  results. 

(2)  Material. — Some    superintendents    have    cabinets    of 


158  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

object  materials,  such  as  tools,  candles,  seed,  bulbs,  soil, 
coins,  flowers,  products  of  Palestine,  and  models,  from 
which  they  draw  as  needed.  A  list  of  objects  and  lessons 
to  be  drawn  from  them  would  be  a  long  one.  A  wealth  of 
material  is  suggested  in  Object  Sermons  in  Outline,  Tyn- 
dall  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Company) ;  Talks  to  the  King's 
Children,  Stahl  (Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company) ;  and  Object 
Lessons  for  Junior  Work,  Wood  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Com- 
pany). 

It  is  wonderful  how  simple  an  object  can  be  used  with 
effect.  Colored  pencils  and  crayons  of  different  lengths  have 
been  used  to  illustrate  the  different  races  of  the  world 
and  their  relative  numbers.  A  sling  and  pebble  will  illus- 
trate the  story  of  David.  A  golden  rule  with  the  words  on 
it  will  interest  children  always.  The  winding  of  thread 
around  a  boy  will  teach  the  growing  power  of  habit.  A 
blind-folded  boy  led  by  a  silken  strand  impresses  the  power 
of  influence.  The  lily  bulb  and  lily  suggest  the  resurrection 
story.  The  old  illustration  of  sin  and  its  results  and  cure 
by  means  of  pouring  into  a  bottle  of  water  tincture  of 
iodine  until  black,  and  then  pouring  saturated  solution  of 
hyposulphite  of  soda  until  the  water  is  restored  to  natural 
color,  is  always  effective,  especially  if  appropriate  Scrip- 
ture verses  be  used  at  each  point  of  the  illustration.  These 
are  merely  suggestive  of  the  possibilities  in  object  teaching. 

4.  Tiie  review.  Hamill  has  said,  "The  review  is  the 
completion,  end,  and  confirmation  of  teaching."  The  super- 
intendent's relation  to  the  review  is  twofold:  first,  through 
the  weekly  workers'  meeting,  in  the  preparation  of  his 
teachers  for  effective  teaching  on  a  plan  that  shall  be  de- 
veloped in  the  weekly  and  quarterly  review;  and,  secondly, 
the  conduct  of  the  review  in  a  way  that  shall  give  it  va- 
riety, zest,  and  climax.  It  has  been  said  that  the  test  of 
good  teaching  is  not  what  a  pupil  can  remember  but  what 
he  cannot  forget.  The  review  has  this  last  as  its  objective. 
(1)  The  review  and  the  graded  lessons. — The  review 
plans  as  suggested  below  are  practicable  only  where  the 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  159 

uniform  lessons  are  used.  Where  the  graded  lessons  are 
in  use,  a  desk  review  is  of  course  not  practicable  with 
three  or  four  courses  of  lessons  in  each  department.  The 
review  in  that  case  must  be  a  class  review  conducted  by 
the  teacher,  unless  all  the  classes  of  each  grade  can  be 
combined  for  purposes  of  review  by  someone  appointed  for 
that  purpose.  With  graded  lessons  the  superintendent's 
weekly  or  other  review  involves  only  the  supplemental  and 
general  Bible  drill  work. 

(2)  The  weekly  review. — There  are  two  views  of  the 
weekly  review.  One  is  that  it  should  not  be  a  review  in  the 
sense  of  covering  by  question  or  statement  the  lesson  facts 
and  points,  but  should  consist  in  the  selection  of  some  cen- 
tral truth  and,  by  strong  illustration  and  appeal,  point  it 
home  to  the  pupil's  heart  and  week-day  life.  Many  strong 
superintendents  incline  to  this  method.  The  other  method 
is  to  draw  out  the  salient  facts  and  teachings  by  brisk 
questioning  that  shall  arouse  interest,  supplement  the 
weak  teacher,  and  focus  the  lesson  points.  An  appeal  may 
be  a  part  of  such  a  plan.  Either  should  keep  in  view  the 
tying  up  of  the  lesson  in  a  plan  of  quarterly  review,  the 
review  time  limit  of,  say,  five  minutes,  and  the  possible 
use  of  the  blackboard  for  the  eye  impression. 

The  superintendent  should  conduct  the  review  if  possible. 
If  he  has  not  the  talent  for  it,  another  may  be  selected,  or 
variety  may  be  obtained  by  asking  another  to  do  the  work 
for  a  limited  time.  This  may  be  a  teacher,  the  pastor,  or 
an  officer.  In  question  and  plan  the  review  should  cover 
all  ages  to  be  reached.  The  review  should  start  with  some- 
thing all  will  probably  know,  to  obtain  a  general  interest, 
leading  up  swiftly  to  the  point  or  points  to  be  clinched. 

The  illustration  that  is  drawn  out  of  the  superintendent's 
own  experience  or  observation  is  likely  to  carry  the  great- 
est force.  Some  current  event  may  prove  excellent  material 
for  illustration.  One  of  the  best  superintendents,  Dr.  A.  F. 
Schauffler,  often  ran  the  gamut  of  the  review  on  the  ques- 
tion heads:    When?    Where?    Why?    What?     What  then? 


160  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

He  frequently  used  the  word-picture  plan,  when  the  lesson 
lent  itself  to  this  method,  the  pupils  supplying  the  impor- 
tant facts.  A  pivotal  question  shot  out  just  before  the 
lesson  study,  to  be  answered  afterward,  is  sometimes  a 
profitable  plan;  or  the  question  may  be  asked  the  previous 
Sunday,  the  answer  to  be  surely  called  for  the  following 
Sunday. 

The  map  and  blackboard  plan  has  been  referred  to.  One 
enterprising  superintendent  spends  much  time  on  prepara- 
tion of  some  illustrative  objects  for  each  Sunday,  such  as 
a  spear,  sling,  shield,  and  even  a  battering  ram.  An  oc- 
casional review  souvenir  is  given  out,  as,  for  instance,  a 
hand  outlined  on  cardboard,  suggesting  on  it  "Five  things 
that  made  Joseph  a  great  man."  Head,  hand,  and  heart 
must  be  combined  in  a  review  worth  while. 

(3)  The  quarterly  review. — The  quarterly  review  has 
been  the  bugbear  of  the  superintendent,  usually  because 
not  planned  for  until  just  before  review  Sunday,  with  no 
time  for  a  well-developed  cooperative  plan.  When  the 
review  is  planned  for  as  a  part  of  the  school  routine,  all  are 
stirred  up  to  some  readiness  by  the  certainty  of  its  coming. 
It  is  due  the  teachers  and  officers  that  the  superintendent 
have  a  clear  understanding  with  them  as  to  the  objective 
and  plan  of  each  quarter's  review.  If  the  superintendent 
has  not  the  review  well  planned  for,  it  is  fairer  to  the 
teachers  that  they  be  given  the  opportunity  of  reviewing 
the  lesson  in  their  classes;  but  the  teacher  should  know 
this  well  in  advance  of  review  Sunday. 

(a)  The  preview. — A  good  review  requires  a  preview\ 
This  involves  some  planning,  but  it  is  worth  all  it  costs. 
Fifteen  minutes  should  be  taken  with  a  large  map,  and  the 
places  that  are  to  locate  the  lesson  shown,  the  itinerary 
outlined,  suggesting  briefly  the  outstanding  persons  and 
events  involved,  and  a  basis  thus  laid  for  an  intelligent 
quarter's  work. 

(ft)  The  written  review. — The  plan  of  written  quarterly 
reviews  obtains  among  the  Sunday  schools  in  India,  Trini- 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  161 

dad,  and  in  many  schools  of  this  country.  Certificates  of 
the  Sunday-school  association  are  presented  to  those  passing 
the  examination  in  the  countries  first  named.  Local  schools 
here  do  the  same. 

The  plan  for  any  school  involves  the  preparation  of  ten 
to  twenty  questions  suited  to  each  department.  These  are 
printed  or  duplicated  by  any  process.  They  are  distributed 
on  review  Sunday  to  be  filled  out  in  the  session  without 
help  from  the  teacher.  Sometimes  the  questions  may  be 
of  a  character  involving  a  little  Bible  work,  and  in  that 
case  they  may  be  taken  home  and  brought  in  at  a  stated 
time.  Or  they  may  be  taken  home  for  fuller  answer  than 
would  be  possible  in  the  class  and,  of  course,  without  help. 
Original  papers  or  essays  on  vital  subjects  on  the  quarter's 
work  may  be  asked  for,  or  a  resume  of  the  lessons  in  the 
pupil's  own  language  may  be  brought  in  with  or  without 
the  guidance  of  questions.  Marks  for  such  work  may  be 
given  by  the  supplemental  secretary,  recognizing  correct- 
ness, neatness,  and  scope.    All  effort  should  be  noticed. 

(c)  Oral  review  plans. — The  plans  for  oral  review  are 
many.  In  the  limits  of  our  space  they  are  outlined  only 
briefly. 

Stereopticon. — Lantern  slides  illustrating  any  quarter's 
lesson  may  be  selected  from  the  catalogues  of  dealers  (Bess- 
ler  Lantern  Slide  Company;  Riley  Optical  Company,  New 
York;  Williams,  Browne  &  Earle,  Philadelphia;  Mclntire 
Stereopticon  Company;  George  W.  Bond  Slide  Company, 
Chicago;  and  Keystone  View  Company,  Meadville,  Penn- 
sylvania. Write  also  to  your  denominational  Sunday-school 
headquarters).  These  may  be  used  on  Sunday  or  in  an 
evening  review  to  which  members  of  the  Home  Department 
are  invited.  The  titles  and  Golden  Texts  may  be  asked  for, 
and  several  members  of  the  school  selected  to  give  a  prac- 
tical thought  from  each  lesson  or  to  give  a  brief  character 
sketch.  The  relation  of  the  picture  to  the  lesson  may  be 
explained  as  found  necessary;  a  few  songs  bearing  on  the 
lesson  may  be  thrown  upon  the  screen  and  sung,  and  a 


162  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

brief  closing  message  may  be  given.  If  a  map  is  intro- 
duced, the  pictures  should  illustrate  the  journey  from 
point  to  point,  and  the  lesson  events  should  be  developed. 

Map  review. — A  large  outline  map  may  be  drawn  upon 
Manila  paper  or  upon  the  blackboard;  or  an  ordinary  map 
may  be  used,  and  the  location  of  the  lesson  points  indicated 
by  seals  or  stars,  with  lines  in  colored  chalk  or  strings  to 
show  the  line  of  progress  from  point  to  point,  the  lesson 
facts  developing  with  the  journey. 

Object  review. — This  requires  some  object  for  each  les- 
son as  suggesting  some  fact  of  the  lesson.  Around  that 
build  the  lesson  review.  If  some  of  the  materials  are  really 
Eastern,  a  sense  of  reality  may  thus  be  given  to  the  lesson 
review. 

Word-picture  plan. — When  vividly  done  this  is  a  fas- 
cinating method.  The  pictures  are  left  incomplete,  the 
pupils  to  fill  in  the  character  or  place  or  action  or  saying 
of  each. 

Golden  Text  review. — A  good  suggestion  for  the  spirit- 
ual truth  of  each  lesson  is  usually  centered  in  its  Golden 
Text.  Review  will  involve,  of  course,  weekly  emphasis 
upon  these  texts  through  placing  them  prominently  before 
the  school  upon  charts  or  upon  large  cards.  The  first  word 
or  two  of  each  text  on  the  blackboard  constitutes  a  good 
drill  method.  Pupils  should  be  asked  to  locate  the  texts 
in  their  Bibles.  The  text  may  be  given  by  the  superinten- 
dent, and  the  lesson  facts  asked  for  of  pupils,  or  the  facts 
given  by  him,  and  the  Golden  Text  requested.  The  title 
or  lesson  number  may  be  given,  and  a  class  asked  for  the 
Golden  Text.  Or  the  location  of  the  text  may  be  given, 
and  a  class  asked  to  recite  it  and  give  the  lesson  title. 
Candles  of  different  colors  representing  the  Golden  Texts 
may  be  stuck  to  a  board  and  lighted  as  the  texts  and  titles 
are  repeated  by  pupils  or  classes.  A  pupil  may  give  the 
lesson  story  and  a  leading  thought,  and  the  class  the  pupil 
represents  may  rise  and  repeat  the  Golden  Text  of  that 
lesson. 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  163 

Other  plans. — Select  twelve  teachers  or  pupils  to  give 
in  two  minutes  each  the  lesson  event  and  truth,  or  four 
teachers  three  lessons  each.  Turn  the  review  on  great 
characters  of  the  quarter.  A  Saint  Paul  Sunday  school 
(House  of  Hope  Chapel)  issued  a  quarterly  review  card 
naming  five  characters  to  be  studied  about  during  the 
quarter  (Joshua,  Gideon,  Naomi,  Ruth,  and  Samuel)  and 
a  few  facts  about  each,  and  suggested  to  pupils  the  reading 
during  the  quarter  of  the  whole  of  Joshua  and  Ruth  and 
several  chapters  in  Judges  and  Samuel.  This  made  a 
good  basis  for  the  review. 

Review  on  great  statements  or  sayings  of  the  quarter. 
Who  spoke  them  and  where?  Apportion  among  classes 
work  in  the  form  of  brief  statements  or  papers  on  Orien- 
talisms, historic  setting,  lesson  events,  persons  or  places, 
or  ask  individuals  to  be  ready  on  these  special  points. 

Times,  places,  persons,  doings,  sayings,  or  teachings  may 
be  the  backbone  for  a  given  lesson.  One  superintendent 
called  it  "the  thirteenth  lesson"  instead  of  review,  taking 
the  general  thought  of  the  twelve  lessons,  omitting  details, 
and  developing  the  lessons  in  their  larger  sweep  of  meaning. 
Twelve  pupils  or  teachers  may  give  the  lessons  as  a  serial 
story,  each  title  a  chapter  heading,  the  story  told  in  the 
pupils'  own  words,  and,  at  different  points,  Oriental  pic- 
tures shown  by  the  superintendent.  An  Adult  Department 
used  a  "newspaper  review,"  each  lesson  event  being  put  in 
a  brief,  startling  statement,  and  a  class  member  telling 
the  story.  George  A.  Lewis  tells  of  a  "burning  light  re- 
view" with  reference  to  lessons  in  the  Acts.  A  large  out- 
line map  of  Palestine  and  Asia  Minor  is  used.  As  se- 
lected persons  tell  the  story  of  each  lesson  in  the  progress 
of  the  gospel,  candles  are  outlined  in  yellow  crayon  at 
each  point  reached  by  the  gospel,  until  the  spread  of  the 
apostles'  work  from  Jerusalem  onward  can  be  clearly  seen. 
A  wall  may  be  built  up  of  large  blocks,  on  each  of  which 
will  appear  a  word  standing  for  the  lesson  thought.  Topics 
crystallizing  the  lessons  may  be  assigned  to  the  elder  pu- 


164  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

pils  for  preparation  of  brief  papers  to  be  read.  The  large 
lesson  pictures  or  large  lesson  cards  may  be  stretched 
across  the  room  on  wire  and  made  the  basis  of  the  review 
for  the  quarter.  Twelve  blackboard  questions  may  be  so 
carefully  put  as  to  bring  out  the  heart  of  each  lesson. 
Twelve  words  may  be  used  to  express  the  heart  of  each 
lesson.  In  one  school  each  class  gave  a  lesson  in  a  simple 
tableau,  the  school  guessing  the  lesson  title. 

The  blackboard  or  large  Manila  sheet  may  be  divided 
into  twelve  squares.  In  each  a  simple  design  may  be 
drawn,  recalling  the  lesson  theme.  Or  twelve  sheets  turn- 
ing on  a  frame  or  easel  may  be  used.  On  each  sheet 
merely  the  design  will  be  drawn,  and  the  title  and  the 
Golden  Text  filled  in  after  questioning.  Review-question 
contest  plans  are  favored  in  many  classes  and  schools  for 
evoking  a  live  interest  in  the  preparation  for  review  Sun- 
day and  on  the  day  itself.  The  usual  plan  is  for  the  super- 
intendent or  teacher  to  prepare  a  list  of  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred questions  on  the  lessons.  The  pupils  are  divided 
equally,  and  the  questions  asked  of  individuals  or  classes 
alternately.  A  leader  may  be  chosen  for  each  section,  and 
this  section  leader  ask  questions  of  the  other  side,  of  the 
pupil,  the  class,  or  the  section.  Sometimes  sides  are 
■chosen,  or  the  boys  matched  against  the  girls.  An  inter- 
esting plan  is  to  have  a  boys'  and  a  girls'  class  prepare 
themselves  on  the  lesson  facts  of  the  quarter,  and  then  have 
all  the  classes  of  the  department  or  school  ask  questions 
in  turn  of  the  two  classes.  Map-drawing  contests  may  be 
undertaken  as  a  basis  for  the  review,  pupils  locating  the 
chief  lesson  points  on  them,  the  best  of  these  maps  to  be 
exhibited.  One  school  used  a  review  in  twelve  colors,  a 
thread  in  each  color  standing  for  some  quality  of  Christ  as 
brought  out  in  the  lessons  of  the  quarter. 

(d)  The  review  climax. — Whatever  the  plan,  there  should 
be  saved  for  the  closing  moment  some  thought  that  leads 
straight  to  Christ  and  which  suggests  personal  responsi- 
bility in  view  of  the  added  light  of  the  quarter's  lessons. 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  165 

A  well-selected  hymn  and  a  tender,  thoughtful  prayer  fol- 
lowing will  help  to  focus  this  result. 

5.  Special  instruction.  The  Sunday  school  of  to-day 
must  be  informed  about  and  must  participate  in  those  great 
movements  in  our  own  country  and  in  foreign  fields  which 
are  of  vital  human  and  Christian  interest.  While  these 
interests  may  be  occasionally  touched  upon  in  lesson  com- 
ments, it  is  due  these  important  movements  and  due  the 
school  that  specific  platform  instruction  shall  be  given 
upon  them  as  a  part  of  the  school's  educational  plan. 

These  subjects  should  be  presented  one  a  month,  or  one 
in  two  months,  by  the  superintendent,  the  classes,  or  anyone 
best  informed  upon  them  from  within  or  without  the  school. 
Sometimes  the  subject  may  be  naturally  related  to  a  school 
or  department  lesson  or  to  a  special  day.  If  so,  so  much 
the  better.  Following  are  subjects  that  should  be  presented: 

(1)  Prohihition. — See  Chapter  XIX. 

(2)  Missions. — See  Chapter  XVIII. 

(3)  Social  Service. — See  Chapter  XX. 

(4)  Patriotism.— See  Chapter  XXI. 

(5)  International  good  will  and  social  justice. — Has  the 
Sunday  school  a  vital  relation  to  peoples  of  other  races  and 
nations?  Should  they  not  know  the  relationship  from  a 
Christian  standpoint  and  become  aware  of  America's  re- 
sponsibility in  the  establishment  of  brotherhood  and  justice 
everywhere?  The  material  for  a  program  on  these  lines 
can  be  obtained  from  the  Commission  on  International 
Justice  and  Good  Will,  Federal  Council  of  Churches, 
Twenty-second  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
and  from  denominational  sources. 

6.  Americanization.  What  is  the  duty  of  the  Sunday 
school  toward  the  immigrant  and  his  children?  What  serv- 
ice can  we  render  in  educating  them  in  American  and 
Christian  ideals?  Write  to  the  Department  of  Missionary 
Education  of  your  denomination  as  to  programs  and  general 
material. 

7.  Good  health.    The  body  is  the  temple  for  the  soul's 


166  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

development.  It  is  the  instrument  of  service.  The  Sunday 
school  has  a  vital  interest  in  maintaining  this  bodily  mech- 
anism at  its  best  through  definite  knowledge  of  its  laws  and 
through  a  program  that  is  adequate  for  its  development. 

8.  Child  welfare.  Is  it  nothing  to  the  Sunday  school 
that  there  are  millions  of  submerged  children  in  America 
for  whom  no  one  feels  a  direct  responsibility — children  de- 
prived of  proper  parental  care,  children  of  the  factories, 
children  of  the  tenements?  Should  the  Sunday  schools  not 
know  that  there  are  four  hundred  millions  of  children  in 
other  lands  with  little  real  chance  at  true  life  in  the  home, 
school,  and  community?  Should  they  not  know  the  facts 
as  to  the  starving  or  ill-fed  and  ill-kept  children  of  x\r- 
menia,  Europe,  or  China? 

The  facts  for  a  program  as  to  Near  East  children  can  be 
obtained  from  Near  East  Relief,  151  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York  City.  The  Child  Welfare  Bureau,  at  70  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  has  information  and  exhibits  of  work  in 
this  country.  The  denominational  boards  and  the  Federal 
Council  of  Churches  can  give  general  information. 

Bibliography 

Clialk  Lessons:  or  The  Blackboard  in  the  Sunday  8choolf 
Beard. 

Object  Lessons  for  Children,   Tyndall. 
Training  the  Junior  Citizen,  Forsyth. 

Topics  fob  Special  Study 

1.  The  relative  value  of  eye  and-ear  teaching. 

2.  Welfare  work  in  Sunday-school  instruction. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  Suggest  a  few  plans  to  increase  Bible  bringing. 

2.  Name  a  few  methods  of  Bible  use  by  the  pupil, 

3.  What  are  some  helpful  uses  of  the  blackboard? 

4.  What  good  reason  is  there  for  use  of  objects  in  teach- 
ing? 


PLATFORM  INSTRUCTION  167 

5.  What  should  be  the  purpose  in  a  weekly  lesson  review? 

6.  Name  five  plans  or  methods  of  quarterly  review. 

7.  What  should  be  sought  as  the  climax  in  review  work? 

8.  What  special  platform  instruction  is  desirable  in  re- 
lation to  community,  national,  and  world  questions? 


CHAPTER  XI 
SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC 

The  large  part  that  music  plays  in  the  service  of  the 
Sunday  school  and  the  importance  of  music  in  the  life  of 
the  young  entitle  it  to  the  superintendent's  special  con- 
sideration. 

The  Sunday-school  songs  are  projected  into  the  social 
gatherings  of  the  young.  At  the  spiritual  crisis  of  the  life 
probably  as  many  young  people  are  influenced  to  a  right  de- 
cision by  Christian  song  as  by  the  word  of  appeal.  Luther 
says,  "Music  is  the  fairest  gift  of  God."  Another  says, 
"Music  is  the  child  of  prayer,  the  companion  of  religion." 
And  Bevan  states,  "Singing  is  one  preparation  for  heaven, 
for  John  has  left  us  in  no  doubt  of  its  large  place  in  the 
life  of  the  redeemed." 

The  increasing  appreciation  of  the  value  of  music  in  the 
religious  education  of  the  young  is  shown  in  the  marked 
improvement  in  recent  years  in  Sunday-school  hymnology 
in  both  England  and  America  and  in  Sunday-school  festivals 
of  song  participated  in  by  great  Sunday-school  choirs. 

In  the  public  schools  in  some  places  there  is  an  effort 
to  eliminate  the  name  of  Christ  from  the  school  songs. 
This  gives  increasing  need  to  the  emphasis  of  Christian 
songs  in  the  Sunday  school. 

Music  in  the  Sunday  school  has  a  threefold  value:  (a)  as 
a  factor  in  the  religious  education  of  the  young  in  convey- 
ing Christian  truth  along  lines  of  easiest  impression  and 
least  resistance;  (&)  as  a  means  of  large  attraction  to  the 
Sunday-school  sessions;  (c)  as  inspirational  to  life  decision 
and  Christian  service. 

"Sweet  music,  sacred  tongue  of  God."  Ole  Bull  as  a  boy 
was  once  reproved  by  his  father  for  getting  up  at  night 

168 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  16^ 

and  playing  his  violin  to  the  disturbance  of  the  family. 
He  replied:  "I  cannot  help  it.  It  speaks  to  me."  To  make 
music  the  voice  of  God  to  the  souls  of  our  pupils  is  worthy 
our  high  endeavor. 

Good  music  is  frequently  the  making  of  a  Sunday  school 
and  will  give  vitality  to  a  service  weak  in  other  respects. 
Poor  music,  half-heartedly  sung,  will  act  as  a  pall  and  handi- 
cap to  a  session  otherwise  strong.  To  have  good  music  will 
require  a  steadfast  purpose,  a  good  book,  and  careful  or- 
ganization. We  shall  consider  the  factors  in  providing 
good  musical  results. 

1.  General  matters.  (1)  The  music  committee. — This 
committee  can  render  large  service  in  the  selection  of  song- 
books,  the  building  up  of  the  Sunday-school  orchestra,  the 
discovery  and  training  of  voices  for  solo  and  other  work, 
the  organization  of  a  Sunday-school  choir,  the  management 
of  week-night  choir  and  school  rehearsals,  the  arrangement 
of  orchestral  and  school  concerts,  the  supervision  of  orches- 
tral music,  and,  where  another  committee  does  not  cover 
the  ground,  the  arrangement  of  music  for  special  days.  The 
chorister  should  be  a  member  of  this  committee. 

(2)  The  songhook. — This  is  a  delicate  subject.  The  se- 
lection should  be  in  the  hands  of  a  wise  committee,  which 
must  keep  in  view  the  school  needs.  The  ages  to  be  served 
must  be  considered.  The  Primary  Department  should  in 
most  schools  be  eliminated  from  consideration,  as  it  is 
amply  cared  for  in  the  many  primary  songbooks.  In  time 
we  shall  have  songbooks  prepared  for  each  department, 
which  shall  include  exercises  and  material  applicable  only 
to  that  department's  needs.  For  the  present  the  book  must 
be  chosen  for  juniors  and  adults  and  the  departments  be- 
tween. In  this  must  be  included  a  number  of  songs  with 
rhythm,  melody,  and  good  harmony.  In  some  schools,  where 
there  are  a  good  proportion  of  adults  who  can  take  several 
parts,  high-grade  music  can  be  introduced;  and  with  this 
support,  and  especially  with  orchestral  help,  this  class  of 
music,   which  will  bring  the   school   into   touch   with  the 


170  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

great  composers,  will  be  increasingly  appreciated.  And 
there  are  many  such  compositions  by  Handel,  Mendelssohn, 
Gounod,  Rubinstein,  Haydn,  and  others  more  modern,  such 
as  Smart,  Sullivan,  and  Dykes,  which  have  melody  and  ma- 
jestic swing,  which  are  easily  within  the  grasp  of  the  aver- 
age school,  and,  together  with  some  of  our  best  church 
hymns,  should  become  the  life  possession  of  our  young 
people. 

The  music,  however,  is  but  a  vehicle  for  the  words.  The 
school  must  be  guarded  at  this  point  so  that  the  poetry 
shall  not  simply  convey  the  truth  but  present  it  in  a  form 
that  will  be  worthy  of  long  remembrance.  Heaven  should 
be  less  in  view  in  such  poetry  than  a  present  Christ  and  a 
militant  service.  Strong  sentiment  has  its  place  here 
when  headed  toward  Christian  service.  There  are  books 
on  the  market  which  cover  much  of  the  ground  desired, 
such  as  The  Methodist  Sunday  School  Hymnal;  Hymns  ol 
Worship  and  Service  (Century  Company) ;  Hymnal  for 
Americafi  Youth  (Century  Company) ;  Worship  and  Song 
(Pilgrim  Press);  and  Gloria  (Barnes). 

(3)  The  selecti07i  of  hymns. — This  should  be  done  by  the 
superintendent  at  home,  with  the  chorister's  help,  if  possi- 
ble, and  as  early  in  the  week  as  practicable.  Copies  of  the 
selections  should  be  sent  to  the  pianist,  the  orchestra  leader, 
and  the  helper  who  is  to  arrange  the  hymn  board.  Note 
should  be  made  of  the  hymns  and  the  frequency  with  which 
they  are  used. 

The  hymns  should  be  selected  with  reference  to  the  Sun- 
day's lesson  theme.  There  must  be  "go"  in  them  as  well  as 
strength.  They  should  express  praise,  prayer,  service,  con- 
secration. They  should  make  a  general  appeal,  so  that  none 
should  feel  excluded.  There  must  be  songs  expressing 
action  for  the  aggressive  juniors.  The  old-time  hymns 
should  have  a  place,  and  one  new  or  partly  new  hymn  should 
be  attempted  each  Sunday. 

To  leave  the  choice  to  the  school  is  to  produce  confusion 
and  spoil  any  harmonious  plan.     But  the   superintendent 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  171 

will  be  regardful  of  the  school's  taste.  With  the  choicest  of 
the  gospel  songs,  new  and  old,  should  go  such  hymns  as 
"A  Mighty  Fortress  Is  Our  God,"  "The  Son  of  God  Goes 
Forth  to  War,"  "O  Love  That  Wilt  Not  Let  Me  Go,"  and 
"We  May  Not  Climb  the  Heavenly  Steeps."  The  hymns 
learned  in  the  supplemental  work  should  be  sung  occasion- 
ally. A  school  hymn  composed  for  the  school,  especially 
one  expressing  the  school  motto,  should  have  a  place  in  the 
program  occasionally.  Or  a  hymn  selected  by  the  school 
by  vote  as  its  school  hymn  will  serve.  If  there  are  class 
hymns  chosen  from  the  songbook  these  may  be  sung  on 
special  Sundays  or  woven  occasionally  into  the  service. 
New,  good  songs  not  in  the  book  may  be  printed,  with  con- 
sent of  the  publishers,  added  to  the  school  selections,  and 
inserted  in  the  schoolbook. 

If  the  lessons  are  on  the  life  of  Christ,  the  story  of  the 
Master  in  song  may  be  made  very  effective  on  some  Sun- 
day. The  service  may  include  "O  Little  Town  of  Bethle- 
hem," "I  Heard  the  Voice  of  Jesus  Say,"  "Break  Thou  the 
Bread  of  Life,"  "There  Were  Ninety  and  Nine,"  and  "There 
Is  a  Green  Hill  Far  Away." 

If  we  are  to  reveal  the  inner  meaning  of  the  words,  there 
is  need  of  careful,  constructive  work  in  the  selection  of 
hymns.  Professor  H.  Augustine  Smith,  in  an  article  in  a 
current  periodical,  well  says: 

How  are  boys  and  girls  to  realize  there  is  high  privilege 
in  singing  when  the  superintendents  and  choristers  use 
hymns  as  they  would  burlap  or  packing  material — capital 
padding  for  the  parts  of  an  ill-arranged  service  of  worship? 
Every  hymn  has  its  own  peculiar  message.  Seek  it.  Study 
the  text  absolutely  apart  from  the  music.  Hold  the  words 
up  to  the  light;  look  through  them  and  between  them  and 
behind  them.  Look  for  the  nouns  in  "O  Love  That  Wilt  Not 
Let  Me  Go,"  or  for  the  verds  in  "Christian,  Dost  Thou  See 
Them?"  or  the  adjectives  in  "How  Beautiful  for  Spacious 
Skies." 

2.  Practical  suggestions.  (1)  The  Sunday-school  or- 
chestra.— By   all   means   have   an   orchestra   to    strengthen 


172  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

your  singing,  attract  the  school,  hold  your  seniors,  and 
utilize  your  young  people.  Start  it  with  one  instrument, 
a  cornet  or  violin  or  cello,  or  all  three.  As  you  can,  add 
clarinet,  trombone,  bass  viol,  and  other  instruments  to  fill 
in  the  parts.  If  no  one  in  the  school  plays,  pay  for  a  violin, 
if  necessary,  or  select  a  pupil  and  pay  for  his  tuition,  with 
the  understanding  that  his  service  shall  be  given  to  the 
school  free.  If  the  orchestra  grows,  such  expenditure  may 
be  returned  from  an  orchestra-concert  fund.  The  orchestra 
can  be  added  to  frequently  through  advertisement  for  play- 
ers and  by  conference  with  music  teachers.  One  school 
added  fifteen  to  its  orchestra  during  a  new  membership 
contest  by  giving  additional  credits  if  the  new  members  had 
orchestral  ability.  Select  the  best  leader  available  and  re- 
quire weekly  rehearsals.  Do  not  start  with  difficult  pieces. 
The  ordinary  hymns  properly  orchestrated  will  serve.^  An 
occasional  solo  by  violin,  cornet,  or  other  instrument  may 
be  helpful  where  the  selection  is  in  keeping. 

Plan  for  occasional  orchestral  concerts  with  school  or 
other  talent.  These  will  be  an  incentive  for  regular  at- 
tendance at  rehearsals  and  will  supply  a  music  fund.  Sev- 
eral points  should  be  guarded:  (a)  Care  should  be  taken 
that  the  orchestra  does  not  become  so  heavy  as  to  smother 
the  voices.  (&)  The  members  of  the  orchestra  should  be 
assigned  to  classes  or  taught  as  an  orchestra  Bible  class, 
(c)  The  orchestra  leader  should  be  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  each  Sunday's  service,  so  that  he  can  adapt  the 
music  to  the  day,  A  very  different  kind  of  music  would  be 
needed  for  Decision  Day  than  for  a  patriotic  Sunday. 

The  Sunday-school  band  is  coming  somewhat  into  vogue 
as  a  part  of  the  orchestra  or  as  a  substitute  for  it.     The 


1  The  following  compositions  are  suggested  as  having  been  used  by 
Sunday-school  orchestras  with  success:  "Coronation  March"  (Tannhaiiser)  : 
^'Swedish  Melody."  arranged  by  J.  Hiller ;  "How  Great,  O  Lord,"  Sir  Julius 
Benedict;  "Evening  Hymns,"  C.  T.  Steele;  "Choral  Prelude,"  D.  W.  Hyde; 
^'Prayer  from  'Nachtlager  von  Grenada,'"  arranged  by  J.  Low;  "Medi- 
tation," C.  T.  Steele;  "Oflfertoire  in  G,"  J.  L.  Bottman.  The  Methodist 
Sunday  School  Hymnal  is  issued  in  an  orchestral  edition.  E.  J.  Root  & 
Sons  (Chicago)  publish  Root's  Church  Orchestra  and  Boot's  Oems  of 
Sacred  Melody  for  the  use  of  orchestras. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  17S 

First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  of  Buffalo,  New 
^ork,  has  a  boys'  band  of  twenty-four  pieces.  The  boys 
have  suits  and  are  under  frequent  engagement  for  work: 
outside  the  school.  They  meet  once  a  week  for  rehearsal. 
They  use  the  Premier  and  Surprise  Sextet  Band  Book  (pub- 
lished by  J.  W.  Pepper  &  Son)  and  Best  of  All  Band 
Book  (Lyon  &  Healy).  In  a  Pennsylvania  Sunday 
school  a  band  of  twenty  was  organized,  each  class  can- 
vassing its  members  for  players.  The  church  people  aided 
in  purchasing  instruments.  There  were  officers,  a  press 
agent,  and  a  concert  which  paid  for  the  suits.  In  two  years 
the  band  gave  twenty  public  exhibitions,  figured  in  six 
parades,  and  furnished  regular  and  special  Sunday-school 
music. 

(2)  The  chorister. — The  superintendent  may  have  the 
voice,  snap,  and  ability  to  take  this  part.  If  not,  the  best 
man  or  woman  should  be  chosen — one  with  whom  the 
superintendent  can  work  harmoniously,  one  who  has  the 
respect  of  the  school,  a  love  for  Christ  and  for  music,  and 
who  will  not  turn  the  service  into  a  singing  school.  Fre- 
quently women  make  the  best  precentors.  If  a  teacher  of 
music,  so  much  the  better.  A  good  chorister  is  half  the 
making  of  good  singing.  He  may  not  sing  well  himself, 
but  he  can  have  the  ability  to  get  others  to  sing  and  a, 
cheery  way  about  him  that  gets  all  to  join  in.  It  will  be 
helpful  if  the  superintendent  and  leader  can  meet  for  fifteen 
minutes  each  week  to  select  songs  in  harmony  with  the 
theme  of  the  service  and  plan  for  other  musical  features 
of  the  program.  The  leader  may  be  trained  in  the  choris- 
ter's section  of  the  local  Sunday-school  union.  The  Cuya- 
hoga County  Sunday  School  Association  has  such  a  choris- 
ister's  course,  with  four  periods  on  "Essential  Elements  in  a 
Service  of  Worship,"  "The  Place  of  Music  in  Sunday-School 
Worship,"  "Graded  Hymns  for  the  Sunday  School,"  and  "A 
Practical  Study  of  a  Service  of  Worship." 

(3)  The  pianist. — This  may  be  the  organist.  But  who- 
ever it  is,  he  or  she  is  a  vital  factor  in  the  musical  prob- 


174  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

lem  of  the  various  departments  of  the  modern  Sunday 
school.  The  pianist  can  be  a  drag  or  a  lift  to  the  whole 
program.  Blessed  is  the  superintendent  that  has  the  right 
one.  He  should  not  wait  long  upon  his  voiced  expression 
of  appreciation,  especially  if  the  musician  is  always  on 
time,  submerges  his  personality,  and  anticipates  his  need. 
But  if  this  is  not  your  pianist,  pray  for  grace  and  make  the 
best  of  your  limitations.  And  patience,  tact,  and  encour- 
agement may  bring  about  marked  improvement.  Magnify 
the  office.  Did  you  ever  stop  publicly  to  thank  the  pianist 
for  some  specially  good  rendering  of  a  piece?  A  sugges- 
tion to  make  the  melody  and  rhythm  marked  and  to  keep 
abreast  or  a  little  ahead  of  the  school  may  produce  results. 
And  it  may  not  be  necessary  for  the  pianist  in  his  intro- 
duction to  play  the  verse  and  chorus  through,  especially 
where  the  piece  is  well  known.  A  few  bars  may  be  all  that 
is  required.  The  interlude  will  keep  in  view  the  necessity 
of  starting  well  on  the  key.  If  a  school  has  not  an  orches- 
tra, the  opening  prelude,  the  intermission  interlude,  and  the 
music  of  the  closing  prayer-song  following  the  benediction 
will  fall  to  the  organist  or  pianist  to  play  alone.  The  pian- 
ist should  be  furnished  with  copy  of  the  program  so  that 
he  can  fit  the  music  instantly  into  the  exercises  without 
the  embarrassing  delay  of  looking  up  the  piece.  The  music 
of  the  school's  order  of  service  should  be  arranged  in  port- 
folio form,  so  that  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  turn  over  book 
pages.  A  good  mutual  understanding  between  the  superin- 
tendent and  the  pianist  should  be  earnestly  cultivated.  The 
careful  tuning  of  organ  or  piano  is  not  the  least  essential. 
(4)  The  Sunday-school  choir. — A  Sunday-school  choir  has 
a  distinct  place  in  the  activities  of  the  school  in  interesting 
the  young  people,  helping  in  new  songs,  and  giving  variety 
to  the  service  by  chants,  special  songs,  processionals,  and 
recessionals.  To  organize  it  will  require  a  leader,  a  plan, 
and  push.  There  are  always  young  people  in  every  school 
who  can  sing  well  and  who  are  eager  for  something  of  this 
sort. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  175 

A  Sunday-school  choir  may  be  organized  in  a  variety  of 
ways.  The  nucleus  can  be  formed  as  the  result  of  a  general 
invitation,  the  ages  being  fixed  in  the  invitation.  A  repre- 
sentative in  each  class  of  right  age  may  be  appointed  to 
work  up  membership.  Or  the  chorister  can  select  the  best 
voices  as  he  knows  or  discovers  them  and  personally  invite 
them  for  the  choir.  A  glee  club  may  be  formed  which  will 
include  in  its  singing  other  than  Sunday-school  music  but 
with  the  agreement  that  the  club  will  take  a  regular  part 
in  the  Sunday-school  session.  A  club  name,  motto,  colors, 
and  song  will  promote  organization  spirit.  Stories  of  com- 
posers and  compositions  and  music  and  musical  values  may 
be  given  special  study  in  such  a  club  or  in  the  choir. 

A  Sunday-school  chorus  class  may  be  formed  of  those 
who  will  agree  to  sing,  organized  as  other  classes,  with  the 
teacher,  the  chorister,  or  one  who  understands  music.  If 
there  is  a  good  leader,  a  boy  choir  can  be  organized  in  some 
schools.  In  the  country  the  singers  may  remain  after  the 
school  for  fifteen  minutes'  rehearsal  and  for  the  selection 
of  songs  for  the  following  Sunday.  They  should  be  given 
the  opportunity  of  a  special  song  in  the  school  service.  A 
week-evening  rehearsal  will  be  helpful  and  will  promote 
the  social  life  of  the  young  people.  The  Sunday-school  choir 
should  be  given  some  part  in  the  morning  church  service. 
This  choir  may  be  vested.  One  pastor  used  such  a  choir 
once  a  month  in  singing  certain  songs  as  a  part  of  a  song 
sermon.  In  the  Bethany  Church  of  Philadelphia  there  are 
four  large  choirs  from  the  Sunday  school  which  take  part 
in  turn.  An  entertainment  of  the  choir  should  be  planned 
for,  possibly  in  conjunction  with  the  school  orchestra.  Scrip- 
tural or  other  cantatas  may  be  rendered.  The  proceeds  may 
be  used  for  new  music. 

Care  should  be  taken  that  the  choir  singing  in  the  school 
shall  be  subordinated  to  the  general  school  singing,  an  as- 
sistant to  such  singing,  and  not  a  substitute  for  it  in  any 
way  that  will  discourage  the  best  results. 

(5)  Learning  new  music. — The  strain  of  introducing  new 


176  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

music  frequently  wears  on  both  superintendent  and  school. 
How  can  this  necessity  be  made  a  pleasure  and  the  school 
time  conserved?  Some  schools  use  for  this  the  ten  or  fif- 
teen minutes  before  or  after  the  session,  those  present  gath- 
ering about  the  organ  at  the  front.  Or  a  week-evening 
special  rehearsal  of  the  school  is  suggested,  with  a  few  in- 
teresting items,  social,  or  literary  program  in  addition  to 
the  singing.  A  printed  invitation  in  attractive  form  to  such 
a  gathering  will  give  it  special  emphasis.  An  evening  in 
the  fall  of  the  year  is  preferable.  The  rehearsal  should  in- 
clude pieces  fitting  for  opening  and  closing,  chants,  and  re- 
sponses. 

A  song  that  does  not  go  well  after  genuine  trial  should 
not  be  forced.  In  taking  up  a  new  song  in  the  session  it  is 
well  to  have  the  words  first  read  once  or  twice  to  grasp  the 
pronunciation  and  meaning.  Then  the  melody  may  be 
played  several  times  and  with  the  violin,  if  one  is  obtain- 
able. Then  have  all  sing  with  full  confidence.  Or  the  choir 
or  some  class  that  had  given  it  previous  rehearsal  may  sing 
one  verse,  and  the  school  the  next,  and  so  alternately,  all 
coming  in  on  the  last  verse.  The  song  may  be  sung  as  a 
special  piece  in  the  fore  part  of  the  session  by  the  choir 
or  by  a  particular  group  and  taken  up  by  the  school  sub- 
sequently. Or  it  may  be  sung  as  a  solo  first.  The  church 
choir  may  be  induced  to  stay  over  for  fifteen  minutes  once  a 
month  to  assist  in  new  songs. 

One  new  song  taken  up  each  Sunday  will  be  enough  for 
the  ordinary  school.  New  songs  not  in  the  book  may,  with 
the  publisher's  consent,  be  stenciled  on  muslin  or  on  hymn 
banners,  and  placed  in  view  of  all  for  rehearsal;  or  they 
may  be  typewritten  and  used  in  stereopticon  slides.  Do 
not  practice  new  music  during  the  opening  devotional 
service. 

(6)  Hymns  and  their  authors. — Our  interest  in  a  song  is 
greatly  enhanced  if  we  know  the  author.  There  is  an  in- 
teresting story  attached  to  nearly  every  hymn  that  has 
won  its  way  to  the  human  heart.    Our  pupils  should  know 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  177 

these  stories.  The  words  will  mean  more  to  them  and  the 
singing  will  be  heartier.  The  great  song  writers — Mendels- 
sohn, Schubert,  and  others — will  become  the  friends  of  the 
school  as  the  story  of  their  struggles  and  successes  is  told. 
The  superintendent  or  chorister  can,  before  the  singing  of 
the  hymn,  tell  its  story,  or  some  member  of  the  choir  or 
school  can  be  asked  to  do  it.  Material  may  be  found  in 
Story  of  the  Hymns  and  Tunes,  by  H.  Butterworth  and  T. 
Brown.  The  Hymnal  for  American  Youth,  by  Professor  H. 
Augustine  Smith  (Century  Company),  has  interesting  facts 
as  to  dates  of  hymns,  authors,  etc.  Especially  are  these  im- 
pressive hymns  if  sung,  after  the  story  is  told,  as  solos  by 
the  singers  who  have  good  voices  and  are  in  sympathy  with 
the  sentiment  of  the  songs.  Play  up  great  men.  John  Hay 
and  McKinley  wrote  hymns.  Former  President  Wilson  was 
one  of  the  editors  of  a  famous  hymnbook.  Whittier,  Bryant, 
Holmes,  Longfellow,  Lowell — all  were  hymn  writers.  Many 
blind,  deaf,  and  invalids  wrote  religious  hymns  and  music, 
such  as  Milton,  Beethoven,  Havergal,  Crosby,  Henry  Smart, 
and  Matheson. 

Fanny  Crosby's  hymns  might  be  used  on  a  special  song 
Sunday  in  connection  with  the  story  of  her  life. 

(7)  How  to  get  all  to  sing. — How  do  the  great  leaders  of 
song  manage  it?  By  seeing  first  that  the  music  or  the  words 
are  in  the  hands  of  all.  If  a  new  song,  it  is  tried  first  by 
the  piano,  then  by  a  soloist  or  quartet,  then  by  all.  Then 
the  men  sing,  then  the  women,  now  one  section  or  depart- 
ment under  sectional  or  departmental  song  leaders,  now  an- 
other, in  pleasant  rivalry,  until  the  man  who  lost  his  voice 
forty  years  ago  is  tuning  it  afresh  for  the  eternal  choir, 
and  the  spirit  of  the  song  has  swept  every  one  along.  And 
the  leader  does  not  scold.  He  straightens  up  the  "bruised 
reeds"  by  his  kindly  encouragement.  And  he  selects  pieces 
the  melody  and  words  of  which  cling  to  the  memory  per- 
force. First,  then,  see  that  everyone  has  a  book,  not  the 
words  only  of  a  song.  This  will  often  make  the  difference 
between  a  half-hearted  and  a  full  response.    Then,  the  super- 


178  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

intendent,  even  if  he  cannot  sing  a  note,  should  keep  his 
mouth  moving  for  the  sake  of  example.  Frequently  read 
the  words  of  a  verse  or  a  song  before  singing.  Sometimes 
the  words  will  need  explanation  to  make  them  count  for 
anything.  "Here  I'll  raise  my  Ebenezer."  What  is  an 
Ebenezer?    What  is  a  "mercy  seat"? 

The  "stay"  in  some  pieces  is  as  important  for  proper  ex- 
pression of  words  and  music  as  is  the  "go"  in  other  pieces. 
Avoid  pieces  pitched  too  high  or  too  low,  for  the  song  may 
get  suspended  in  the  sky  or  be  buried  in  the  pit.  The  dan- 
ger to  the  voice  must  be  considered  as  well  as  the  result  in 
song.  Shouting  is  not  singing;  it  strains  the  voice.  Tone 
quality  rather  than  noise  should  be  the  goal.  See  that 
there  is  good  air.  Then  encourage  the  pupils  to  sit  straight 
and  breathe  deeply,  so  that  the  tones  will  be  produced  from 
the  chest,  and  not  the  throat.  Have  the  hymn  numbers  on 
the  hymn  board  or  blackboard  and  well  in  sight.  Humming 
and  whistling  for  variety  is  viewed  with  mixed  favor.  At 
the  best  it  seems  doubtful.  Ascertain  the  school's  favorites 
by  distributing  slips  for  song  numbers  for  future  use.  The 
result  may  be  surprising  to  the  superintendent  but  will  be 
suggestive  in  selecting  songs  that  go.  Give  the  boys  a 
chance  in  the  selection. 

In  creating  interest  use  parts  of  the  school  against  others 
— boys  against  girls,  sometimes  a  class,  or  the  teachers,  the 
women,  or  the  men,  the  women  and  girls  singing  the  verse, 
and  the  men  and  boys  on  the  chorus,  or  reverse,  or  all  join- 
ing in  the  chorus.  Or  a  department  may  sing  a  verse,  and 
all  the  chorus.  There  are  some  songs  that  lend  themselves 
to  antiphonal  singing.  An  orchestra  and  .a  piano  are,  of 
course,  helpful  accessions  in  good  singing.  Much  will  de- 
pend, however,  on  the  personality  of  the  leader  and  his 
steady  persistence  at  the  task  until  all  shall  seek  to  reach 
with  him  the  school  goal.  Special  class  and  school  rehear- 
sals will  be  valuable,  and  the  teachers'  cooperation  will 
count  for  much,  both  on  Sunday  and  in  making  much  of 
Sunday-school  songs  at  class  gatherings. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  179 

The  use  of  illustrated  hymns  on  slides  with  the  stereopti- 
con  is  coming  into  use  as  a  way  of  enlisting  interest  and 
deepening  the  impression.  Without  the  slide  there  will  be 
great  gain  if  the  leader  can  picture  the  meaning  of  the  verse 
to  be  sung  or  ask  a  swift  question  that  will  let  the  pupil 
give  the  picture  in  the  song.  For  instance,  "Nearer,  My 
God,  to  Thee"  suggests  pictures  on  the  life  of  Jacob.  A 
medley  of  old  hymns,  a  "verse  of  each  following  a  chord, 
will  arouse  interest. 

It  is  important  to  interpret  a  hymn  aright  in  the  speed 
with  which  it  is  sung.  "There's  a  Wideness  in  God's  Mercy" 
and  "In  the  Cross  of  Christ  I  Glory"  are  usually  sung  too 
fast.  "Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee,"  "Rejoice,  Ye  Pure  in 
Heart,"  and  "Onward,  Christian  Soldiers"  are  invariably 
sung  too  slow.  Expression,  variety,  the  play  of  light  and 
shade,  fast  and  slow,  loud  and  soft,  all  are  essential  to  good 
singing. 

(8)  Community  chorus  work. — In  recent  years  there  has 
been  a  distinct  development  of  Sunday-school  chorus  work 
in  the  form  of  the  convention  chorus,  competitive  Sunday- 
school  junior  choirs,  great  festival  choruses,  or  what  is 
known  as  the  community  chorus,  in  which  the  Sunday- 
school  members  take  part  with  other  community  elements. 

(a)  Junior  Sunday-school  choirs. — These  may  be  for  the 
Junior  Department  alone  or  may  be  divided  into  three 
groups — a  choir  of  boys  eight  to  twelve,  the  girls  from  eight 
to  twelve,  and  the  girls  from  thirteen  to  sixteen  or  even 
older. 

(&)  Convention  choruses. — These  are  usually  made  up  of 
Sunday-school  and  church  members  of  the  entertaining  city 
and  are  led  by  a  local  chorus  leader  or,  more  probably,  by 
the  convention  chorus  leader.  Where  that  leader  is  a  man 
well  abreast  of  the  technique  of  his  profession,  the  conven- 
tion, with  its  institute  for  Sunday-school  choristers,  be- 
comes of  great  value  as  a  training  school  for  all  related  to 
the  music  problem  in  the  local  school.  Where  competent 
leaders  are  in  charge  of  the  convention  music,  the  Sunday 


180  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

school  can  well  afford  to  pay  the  expenses  of  its  choristers 
to  attend  the  convention.  Particularly  is  this  true  when 
the  features  of  pageantry  and  music  are  intimately  com- 
bined, as  at  the  World's  Sunday  School  Convention  in  Tokyo 
in  1920.  The  impressions  of  that  convention,  in  which  a 
chorus  of  eight  hundred  Japanese  and  missionaries  sang 
those  great  productions  "Unfold,  Ye  Portals  Everlasting," 
"Send  Out  Thy  Light,"  "The  Largo,"  and  "The  Hallelujah 
Chorus,"  will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  those  present.  When 
in  the  four  pageants  the  music  of  such  hymns  as  "Just  as 
I  Am,  Without  One  Plea"  and  "In  the  Cross  of  Christ  I 
Glory"  was  woven  into  the  scenes  depicting  the  progress 
of  the  Sunday  school  and  of  Christianity,  the  effect  was 
remarkable. 

(c)  Competitive  Sunday-school  singing. — This  takes  the 
form  of  a  convocation  of  the  Sunday  schools  of  a  locality 
in  some  large  building  under  their  respective  song  leaders. 
Judges  are  selected,  and  the  decisions  made  upon  the  basis 
of  accepted  points.  In  one  such  gathering  eight  schools 
were  involved.  They  sang  in  competition  one  Sunday-school 
song  selected  by  the  committee  and  one  of  their  own  choos- 
ing. The  successful  school  was  awarded  a  banner,  to  be 
theirs  if  maintained  in  three  successive  contests. 

In  another  locality  in  order  to  stimulate  the  learning  of 
new  music  a  contest  was  arranged  between  the  schools. 
Ten  new  songs  were  in  the  competition,  and  thirty  days,  or 
four  Sundays,  were  allowed  for  rehearsals.  The  result  was 
so  even  that  decision  was  very  difficult. 

(d)  Sunday-school  song  festivals. — These  have  been  pro- 
moted for  years  in  England,  the  chorus  reaching  as  high  as 
five  thousand  voices  in  a  great  festival  in  the  Crystal  Palace 
of  London.  The  Chicago  annual  Sunday-school  music  fes- 
tival has  three  thousand  voices;  and  in  Brooklyn,  Wash- 
ington, Cleveland,  and  other  cities  the  chorus  has  num- 
bered as  many  as  two  thousand  five  hundred.  The  pro- 
ductions are  of  high  quality,  and  the  results  in  improvement 
of  singing  in  the  individual  schools  are  marked. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MUSIC  181 

(e)  Community  choruses. — The  organization  and  leader- 
ship of  community-music  activities  have  made  marked  prog- 
ress in  the  last  ten  years.  In  these  plans  the  church,  the 
Sunday  school,  the  public  school,  and  other  community 
units  have  united  for  patriotic  singing,  for  the  production 
of  standard  oratorios  and  for  carol  singing  in  the  com- 
munity square  or  park  on  Christmas  Eve.  Information  con- 
cerning the  organization  and  direction  of  music  in  com- 
munities, industries,  neighborhood,  and  rural  districts  can 
be  found  in  a  pioneer  book  on  these  lines:  Music  for 
Everytody,  by  Marshall  Bartholomew  and  Robert  Lawrence 
(The  Abingdon  Press). 

Bibliography 

Famous  Hymns  of  tlie  World,  Sutherland. 

Book  of  Worship  of  the  Church  School,  Hartshorne. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  paid  orchestra  in  the  Sunday  school. 

2.  Cooperative  community  music. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  value  of  music  in  the  Sunday  school? 

2.  What  class  of  songs  should  be  encouraged  in  Sunday- 
school  music? 

3.  How  much  emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  words? 

4.  What  should  the  superintendent  keep  in  view  in  the 
selection  of  his  music? 

5.  What  should  be  the  object  in  selection  of  the  closing 
hymn? 

6.  How  can  a  Sunday-school  choir  be  helpful? 

7.  Suggest  some  plans  of  getting  all  to  sing. 

8.  How  can  the  Sunday  school  be  helped  by  community 
chorus  competitions? 

9.  How  can  it  help  in  improving  community  musical 
ideals? 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS 

The  teacher  is  the  compelling  force  in  Sunday-school 
work.  The  superintendent  may  "general"  the  campaign,  but 
it  is  the  teacher  who  fights  the  battle,  coming  out  of  the 
hand-to-hand  conflict  many  a  Sunday  disheartened,  baffled, 
often  with  aching  head  and  aching  heart.  The  teacher 
should  receive  high  honor  in  the  day  of  victory. 

The  superintendent  has  no  more  important  work  than  the 
selection  and  training  of  his  teachers.  On  the  quality  of 
their  work  his  campaign  succeeds  or  fails.  The  writer  is 
well  aware  of  the  futility  of  expecting  impossible  ideals  in 
a  teacher.  He  knows  that  with  many  superintendents  and 
in  many  places  it  is  not  a  question  of  selection  but  of 
getting  anybody  to  do  the  work.  But  he  is  sure  that,  with 
God's  help  and  with  patience  and  plan,  many  of  the  prob- 
lems connected  with  building  in  and  building  up  teachers 
in  the  work  will  be  solved  and  excellent  results  achieved. 

The  plan  of  the  paid  teaching  force  has  its  defenders, 
and  this  plan  is  employed  in  several  New  York  schools. 
Where  a  teacher  is  making  that  a  life  employment,  as  may 
be  the  case  with  some  special  workers  and  in  certain  mis- 
sion districts,  there  is  no  good  argument  against  the  plan; 
but  for  best  results  and  of  necessity  we  must  chiefly  depend 
on  volunteer  teachers. 

1.  Recruiting  a  teaching  force.  (1)  Essential  quali- 
ties in  a  teacher. — A  few  basic  qualities  must  be  looked  for 
in  a  teacher: 

(a)  Christian  character. — It  takes  character  to  make 
character.  Former  Governor  Hughes  said  to  a  gathering 
of  Sunday-school  workers,  "It  is  what  the  boy  and  girl  feel 
exists  in  the  manhood  of  the  teacher  that  makes  an  im- 

182 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS  183 

pression  upon  the  life."  Every  teacher  may  be  a  guidepost 
pointing  to  Christ.  The  vital  question  of  the  teacher's 
example  should  be  settled  upon  this  basis.  The  Christian 
character  of  a  teacher  may  not  be  matured,  but  in  every 
case  Christ  should  be  its  life  motive. 

(&)  Love  for  the  impil. — The  teacher  must  be  a  friend 
if  he  would  be  a  helper  to  the  pupil's  life.  He  must  enter 
into  the  pupil's  life  interests,  troubles,  temptations,  in  a 
very  real  way.  One  cannot  do  this  without  a  real  love  for 
children  and  young  people. 

(c)  Love  for  the  Book. — The  more  knowledge  of  it  the 
better,  but  love  for  it  must  be  there. 

These  three  qualities,  then,  we  should  look  for:  love  for 
Christ,  for  the  pupil,  for  the  Book;  and  then  set  ourselves 
to  the  task  of  cultivating  these  to  full  strength.  Add  to 
these  every  other  good  quality  we  can,  of  education,  of  per- 
sonality, and  of  general  fitness. 

(2)  Enlisting  teachers. — Ralph  Wells,  one  of  the  great 
Sunday-school  leaders  of  the  recent  past,  was  asked  how 
to  get  Sunday-school  teachers.  He  replied,  "Train  them." 
And  right  well  did  he  succeed  over  a  long  and  successful 
Sunday-school  career  by  this  means. 

The  field  for  new  teachers  is  the  training  class,  the  Bible 
classes,  the  Home  Department,  new  and  old  members  of  the 
church,  and  day-school  teachers. 

The  superintendent  should  have  several  lists,  one  com- 
posed of  those  who  are  ready,  one  for  near  prospective  teach- 
ers, and  another  for  those  remote.  From  time  to  time  he 
should  place  new  names  on  these  several  lists  and  recruit 
from  them.  He  should  not  go  about  the  business  in  a  spirit 
of  pessimism.  A  pastor  in  a  local  paper  berated  the  absent 
teachers  for  their  lack  of  interest  and  in  the  next  paragraph 
made  an  appeal  for  new  teachers.  He  had  discounted  his 
proposition.  People  avoid  sinking  ships.  A  quiet  personal 
word  with  those  teachers  in  turn  would  have  produced  dif- 
ferent results.  Let  people  feel  that  the  Sunday  school  is 
the  greatest  institution  in  the  world,  exalt  the  privileges 


184  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

of  the  teacher  in  the  school,  speak  of  the  good  times  you 
have.  An  occasional  public  appeal  in  the  spirit  of  opti- 
mism is  all  right,  but  the  quiet  hunt  for  teachers  is  more 
effective  than  frantic  appeals  and  scoldings  from  pulpit  or 
platform. 

The  following  methods  have  been  found  helpful: 

(a)  Start  young  people  at  fifteen  or  sixteen  in  teacher- 
training  classes.  They  are  willing  to  teach  if  they  think 
they  know  how.  Your  own  young  people  may  be  made  your 
best  and  most  faithful  teachers. 

(b)  Start  young  people  in  the  Primary  or  Junior  Depart- 
ment doing  assistant  or  supplemental  work  until  accus- 
tomed to  service. 

(c)  Get  from  Bible  classes,  of  those  over  sixteen  years  of 
age,  lists  of  young  people  best  fitted.  See  these  persons 
individually  and  win  their  consent  for  present  or  later 
service.    Enlist  them  in  training  courses. 

id)  Go  carefully  over  the  church  list  with  the  pastor 
and  send  a  compelling  letter  to  the  names  selected,  sug- 
gesting regular  or  occasional  service,  inclosing  a  card  or 
blank  for  reply.  This  call  to  service  suggests  several  ways 
in  which  cooperation  may  be  given,  such  as  a  regular 
teacher,  a  substitute  teacher,  a  Home  Department  visitor. 
Endeavor  to  recruit  day-school  teachers. 

(e)  Do  not  scare  people  by  asking  them  at  the  beginning 
to  take  a  class  permanently.  Ask  them  to  do  so  for  a  Sun- 
day or  for  once  a  month.  Encourage  them  and  lead  them 
along  until  they  have  some  confidence. 

(/)  If  necessary  suggest  to  a  teacherless  class  that  the 
members  choose  a  teacher,  with  the  consent  of  pastor  and 
superintendent,  and  then  call  upon  that  person  in  a  body, 
presenting  their  request. 

(g)  Suggest  to  those  who  will  teach  regularly  that  their 
service  is  for  one  year.  This  will  give  opportunity  for  test- 
ing their  ability  in  special  classes  and  will  enable  a  change 
at  the  end  of  the  year  if  necessary  without  friction  or  rup- 
ture. 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS  185 

(7t)  Do  not  take  "no"  for  an  answer  from  those  who 
should  teach.  Tell  them  it  is  Christ's  work  and  suggest, 
"Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it."  A  letter  from  the 
superintendent  during  the  week,  inclosing  some  helpful 
leaflet,  may  produce  decision. 

(3)  Substitute  teachers. — This  list  should  be  made  up  of 
those  who  are  prepared  to  serve  regularly  or  at  stated  times. 
They  should  be  given  the  opportunity  to  select  their  dates 
and  departments,  and  to  express  their  preference  for  either 
boys  or  girls. 

The  substitute  teachers  may  be  elected  and  recognized  as 
a  part  of  the  teaching  force,  their  names  being  printed  with 
the  school  list.  They  should  be  invited  to  all  teachers' 
functions.  In  some  schools  where  the  substitute  list  is 
printed  teachers  arrange  with  those  on  such  a  list  for  their 
own  substitutes. 

An  assistant  teacher  is  sometimes  appointed  for  each 
class,  which  solves  the  question  for  that  class. 

Some  Bible  classes  agree  to  furnish  one  or  two  substi- 
tutes for  each  Sunday,  a  member  not  to  be  called  upon 
oftener  than  once  a  month.  Appoint  in  each  young  people's 
and  adult  Bible  class  a  "scout"  to  furnish  one  or  more 
names  of  probable  teachers  and  to  win  their  consent  for 
once  a  month  service. 

An  advance-lesson  class  is  sometimes  used  for  substitute 
purposes,  the  lesson  being  studied  by  the  class  a  week  in 
advance. 

Teachers  should  be  urged  to  notify  the  superintendent  or 
other  designated  officer  of  absence  on  an  absence  card  fur- 
nished to  all  teachers  for  their  use  or  to  provide  a  substi- 
tute. Many  do  not  or  cannot  do  this,  and  at  the  last  mo- 
ment arrangements  have  to  be  made  to  fill  the  vacancy,  this 
making  it  necessary  to  provide  in  advance  some  substitutes 
who  may  or  may  not  be  called  upon. 

The  superintendent  should  take  special  pains  to  thank 
substitutes  for  their  service.  Out  of  the  substitute  list  will 
come  in  time  many  regular  teachers. 


186  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

The  graded  lessons  make  it  necessary  for  every  teacher 
to  arrange  definitely  for  a  substitute  because  of  the  variety 
of  the  lessons  or  to  have  department  substitutes  prepared 
for  each  graded  lesson  taught  in  the  department. 

The  substitute  is  entitled  to  notification  of  the  date  and 
department  of  service.  They  should  be  in  readiness  at  a 
given  point  or  should  report  direct  to  the  proper  depart- 
ment officer. 

(4)  The  teacher  appointed  and  installed. — The  new 
teacher  should  be  installed  at  a  public  service.  The  in- 
stallation may  include  any  officers  of  the  school  as  well. 
The  presentation  of  a  formal  commission  of  service,  duly 
signed  by  pastor  or  superintendent,  will  add  dignity  to  the 
service  and  to  the  worker's  office.  Forms  of  installation  for 
officers  and  teachers  may  be  found  in  The  Methodist  Sunday 
School  Hymnal.  The  Pilgrim  Congregational  Sunday 
School,  of  Dorchester,  Massachusetts;  the  Marion  Law- 
rance  Sunday  School  of  Toledo,  Ohio;  and  the  First  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Sunday  School  of  Los  Angeles  have  installa- 
tion forms.  The  installation  service  should  include  an  ad- 
dress by  the  pastor  and  an  officers'  and  teachers'  covenant, 
or  a  charge  to  the  teachers  of  each  department  (where  the 
installation  is  an  annual  affair,  covering  all  teachers  old  and 
new),  and  a  response.  In  the  North  Avenue  Presbyterian 
Sunday  School  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  the  covenant  taken  by 
the  teachers  and,  indeed,  signed  by  them,  reads: 

In  consideration  of  the  high  calling  of  a  teacher  in  the 
Sunday  school  I  make  the  following  covenant  in  entering 
upon  my  work:  I  will  do  my  work  to  the  best  of  my  abil- 
ity. I  will  try  to  improve  it  constantly.  I  will  attend  regu- 
larly and  promptly  the  sessions  of  the  school  and  of  the 
workers'  study  club.  The  supreme  aim  of  my  teaching  is 
to  lead  the  pupils  to  know  my  Lord  and  Saviour;  and  to 
this  end  I  consecrate  my  talents,  depending  on  him  for 
strength  and  wisdom. 

(5)  The  teacher  welcomed.  —  Following  election  the 
teacher  should  receive  a  letter  signed  by  the  superintendent 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS  187 

and  secretary,  welcoming  him  to  the  fellowship  of  service, 
with  full  instructions  as  to  meetings,  rules,  marking  sys- 
tem, the  school's  objectives,  and  especially  its  spiritual  goal, 
and  inviting  to  earnest  cooperation.  Some  schools  issue 
this  in  the  form  of  a  manual  covering  suggestions  as  to 
class  management,  timeliness,  prayer,  preparation,  and 
records.  This  can  be  done  in  typewritten  form  to  save  ex- 
pense. It  is  used  also  for  substitute  teachers.  A  list  of  the 
pupils  and  their  addresses  should  be  furnished. 

2.  The  superintendent's  relations  to  liis  teacliers. 
(I)  Attaching  and  helping  the  teacher. — As  suggested  be- 
fore, the  teachers  are  the  superintendent's  file  leaders.  He 
must  work  upon  the  pupils  through  them.  He  must  there- 
fore enter  into  their  lives,  draw  them  to  himself  and  to 
Christ  by  every  possible  means,  and  help  them  to  become 
better  workmen.    This  he  may  do  in  a  multitude  of  ways. 

(a)  He  may  recognize  the  teacher's  birthday  by  a  per- 
sonal letter,  which  shall  include  a  word  of  hearty  apprecia- 
tion of  the  teacher's  service  and  may  be  accompanied  by 
some  helpful  book  or  booklet. 

(&)  A  birthday  prayer  list  of  the  teachers  may  be  printed 
and  corrected  annually,  the  birthdays  arranged  by  months, 
and  the  teachers  requested  to  pray  for  each  other  and 
especially  for  the  officers  as  their  birthdays  occur.  This 
kindly  remembrance  in  prayer  and  congratulation  is  a 
stimulus  that  inspires  to  high  faithfulness. 

(c)  Leaflets  and  clippings  or  reprints  bearing  on  the 
teacher's  work  and  spiritual  life  may  be  distributed  or  per- 
sonally inclosed  as  they  may  fit  the  case,  such  leaflets  as 
"My  Class  for  Jesus,"  "Little  Parishes  of  Eight,"  "How  to 
Prepare  a  Lesson  for  Teaching."  This  investment  pays  big 
dividends. 

(d)  Supply  best  possible  teaching  helps  for  the  teachers, 
the  denominational  teachers'  journal,  of  course,  and  another 
if  possible.  Sometimes  suggest  a  good  periodical,  such  as 
The  Church  School,  to  subscribe  for. 

(e)  Sit  down  with  a  new  or  troubled  teacher  and  sug- 


188  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

gest  plans  of  lesson  presentation  and  of  getting  the  pupils 
at  work  with  manual  or  geography  work.  See  in  the  next 
chapter  "Plans  for  the  Lesson  Period"  and  the  manual-work 
section  of  Chapter  VIII. 

(/)  Secure  a  small  teacher's  library  and  see  that  someone 
is  appointed  to  supply  lists  of  books  and  to  keep  the  books 
in  circulation  among  the  teachers  and  officers.  Helpful 
books  in  the  public  library  may  be  mentioned. 

(g)  Gather  up  items  of  encouragement  concerning  the 
teachers'  work  from  parents  and  pupils,  and  write  or  tell 
these  to  the  teachers.  Such  a  word  gives  wings  to  the 
teachers  in  their  service.  Home  items  that  may  give  the 
teacher  a  new  understanding  of  the  pupil  will  be  appreciated 
by  the  teacher. 

(70  The  sick  teacher  visited  or  inquired  about,  the  flow- 
ers sent,  the  teacher  helped  by  the  superintendent  to  a 
business  position,  are  among  the  ministrations  that  cement 
the  personal  relationship  between  superintendent  and 
teacher. 

(i)  Encourage  by  suggesting  examples  of  great  men  who 
have  been  helped  by  the  faithfulness  of  a  Sunday-school 
teacher. 

(j)  Strengthen  the  personal  bond  with  the  teacher  by 
sending  a  souvenir  postal  at  Easter,  New  Year's  Day,  or 
when  traveling. 

(fc)  Suggest  attendance  and,  in  some  instances,  pay  the 
expense  of  attendance  of  teachers  at  any  local  union  train- 
ing class,  a  summer  training  school,  or  to  the  institute  of 
the  local  school,  as  suggested  in  Chapter  XIII. 

See  that  the  assistant  superintendent  or  some  experienced 
teacher  is  given  special  oversight  of  a  new  or  weak  teacher, 
to  encourage  by  practical  help  until  the  teacher  is  well 
started  in  effective  work. 

Above  all,  make  the  teachers  feel  that  the  superintendent 
stands  back  of  them  in  their  work,  has  their  success  and 
welfare  constantly  upon  his  heart,  and  appreciates  their 
faithful  service. 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS  189 

(2)  The  teacher's  social  life. — This  should  be  adequately 
planned  for  through  the  social  committee  of  the  school.  It 
may  include: 

(a)  A  monthly  supper  at  homes  or  at  the  school  on  the 
lines  of  a  workers'  conference,  to  be  followed  by  discussion 
of  topics  of  class  or  school  interest  previously  assigned  to 
individuals  or  taken  up  in  round-table  form. 

(b)  The  department  teachers'  supper  or  social,  where 
games  and  program,  with  refreshments,  may  be  enjoyed  and 
a  few  topics  of  department  interest  considered  informally. 
These  socials  may  be  spread  over  the  year,  say,  the  pri- 
mary children  at  Eastertime,  the  juniors  in  May,  the  inter- 
mediates at  a  patriotic  affair,  etc. 

(c)  The  ariniial  social  or  banquet,  which  should  be  an 
important  affair,  to  be  held  either  at  the  superintendent's 
home  or  at  the  school.  This  may  be  made  as  elaborate  as 
desired,  extending  to  decorations  in  school  colors,  printed 
programs,  toasts  on  Sunday-school  topics,  and  one  or  two 
special  after-dinner  addresses. 

Other  opportunities  of  acquaintance  and  fellowship  will 
be  found  in  the  summer  outing  of  teachers  and  at  the  semi- 
social  business  and  lesson-study  gatherings. 

The  cohesion  of  the  teaching  force  makes  for  power. 
These  gatherings  promote  such  a  result  if  their  tone  is 
kept  purposely  informal. 

(3)  The  teacher's  spiritual  life. — How  can  the  superin- 
tendent aid  this?  By  his  daily  prayer  for  his  teachers;  by 
a  teachers'  prayer  league,  in  which  they  engage  to  pray 
daily  for  the  class,  for  the  other  workers  and  school  mem- 
bers, and  for  a  larger  impowerment  for  personal  service; 
through  the  teachers'  prayer  gathering  just  prior  to  the 
session;  through  the  monthly  prayer  gatherings  of  teachers 
after  school  or  at  some  convenient  time,  especially  to  pray 
for  the  spiritual  preparation  and  vision  and  to  discuss  the 
spiritual  work  of  the  school;  through  distribution  to  the 
teacher  of  helpful  leaflets,  clippings,  and  books  on  spiritual 
equipment;  and,  last  but  not  least,  by  the  superintendent's 


190  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

own  vision  and  the  atmosphere  and  spirit  of  his  own  life. 
"Is  that  Jesus  over  there?"  was  asked  the  teacher  by  a 
child  in  the  Beginners'  Department  concerning  one  of  the 
school  superintendents  whose  glowing  face  showed  that  he 
talked  much  with  God. 

(4)  Winning  the  cooperation  of  teachers. — Many  a 
teacher,  busy  week-day  and  Sunday  with  his  own  problems, 
loses  sight  of  the  necessity  of  attention  to  details  that  are 
of  first  importance  to  the  superintendent  and  in  school  re- 
sults. It  has  been  found  very  helpful  for  the  superintendent 
to  distribute  circular  letters  to  his  teachers  bearing  on  such 
points  as  prompt  attendance,  class  facing  the  desk,  the 
teachers'  meeting,  notification  as  to  absence,  visitation  of 
homes  of  absentees,  singing  heartily,  use  of  the  Bible,  main- 
tenance of  order,  and  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the  pupils 
in  the  service  of  worship. 

Invite  teachers  to  a  full  and  frank  conference,  giving  one 
half  of  the  hour  to  those  problems  of  the  teacher  which 
can  be  helped  by  the  superintendent,  and  the  other  half  hour 
to  those  problems  of  the  superintendent  which  can  be  solved 
by  the  teachers'  aid. 

After  the  summer  vacation  invite  officers  and  teachers  to 
a  "council  fire,"  where  the  summer's  experience  can  be  told, 
and  suggestions  gleaned  which  may  stimulate  to  a  larger 
service  on  the  part  of  all. 

Encourage  teachers  to  frank  criticism  and  helpful  sug- 
gestion through  a  "question  box"  or  otherwise.  Make 
acknowledgment  of  those  ideas  which  are  especially  helpful 
and  pertinent. 

(5)  Teachers  who  are  problems. —  (a)  The  resigning 
teacher. — You  know  him.  If  his  case  has  become  chronic, 
have  someone  in  readiness  and  shock  him  by  accepting  his 
resignation.  Doubtless  he  will  then  decline  to  resign,  and 
the  trouble  will  be  effectually  cured. 

(6)  The  discouraged  teacher. — Suggest  a  class  social  at 
his  or  her  home,  serving  gingerbread,  apples,  and  nuts,  and 
playing  games,  without  talking  religion  on  that  special  oc- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS  191 

casion.  Or  perhaps  it  is  a  class  cooperative  scheme  that  is 
needed  to  get  all  happily  at  work  in  the  class.  Or  the  "key" 
boy  needs  to  be  set  at  work  to  do  something  with  pencil  and 
paper  which  will  win  him  over.  One  such  discouraged 
teacher  in  the  writer's  school,  who  twice  felt  that  he  must 
resign,  held  on  and  saw  three  of  his  seventeen-year-old  boys 
come  to  Christ.  That  man  is  now  a  successful  Sunday- 
school  superintendent. 

(c)  The  irregular  teacher. — The  counterpart  is  the  dwin- 
dling class.  It  is  this  teacher  who  makes  the  superinten- 
dent's hair  grow  gray  before  its  time.  In  some  cases  ir- 
regularity occurs  through  thoughtlessness  as  to  the  conse- 
quences upon  pupils  and  school.  It  may  be  cured  by  the 
superintendent  if  taken  hold  of  promptly.  An  immediate 
visit  or  letter  asking  if  the  teacher  is  ill  and  explaining  how 
the  class  and  superintendent  missed  the  teacher,  and  that 
the  class  does  not  like  substitutes  will  frequently  remedy 
things.  The  superintendent  may  suggest  a  call  upon  the 
teacher  by  the  class,  or  that  the  class  write  her  in  turn  on 
successive  days  of  the  week.  Milford  W.  Foshay  tells  of  a 
discouraged  superintendent  who  appeared  at  the  teachers' 
meeting  with  six  wooden  dolls.  He  explained  that  some 
of  the  teachers,  from  their  absence  without  notification, 
evidently  expected  that  he  could  manufacture  teachers  for 
the  occasion.  He  had  grown  desperate  and  had  finally  manu- 
factured the  dolls,  which  he  proposed  to  place  in  the  chairs 
of  absent  teachers  the  next  Sunday  as  the  best  he  could  do. 
As  the  result  of  this  object  lesson  the  difficulty  was  cured. 
Sometimes  resolutions  by  the  teachers  will  bring  the  mat- 
ter officially  before  the  offending  teachers.  The  superinten- 
dent should  be  given  full  authority  to  fill  the  place  of  any 
teacher  absenting  himself  a  certain  number  of  Sundays 
without  excuse.  The  best  plan,  when  the  case  is  such  that 
the  class  is  suffering,  is  to  place  the  teacher  upon  the  re- 
serve or  substitute  list,  fill  the  vacancy,  and  advise  the 
teacher  accordingly.  The  class  must  have  first  considera- 
tion.   Sometimes  the  signing  by  all  teachers  of  a  pledge  or 


192  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

covenant  may  reach  the  offender.  This  may  include  (1) 
never  to  be  absent  unless  a  substitute  is  arranged  for,  or 
the  superintendent  notified;  (2)  to  read  one  book  yearly 
on  the  work  of  the  teacher;  (3)  to  spend  ten  minutes  daily 
in  prayer,  that  prayer  to  include  the  class,  the  school,  and 
the  Kingdom. 

(d)  The  poor  teacher. — This  may  be  the  superintendent's 
fault.  He  has  made  a  misjudgment.  Sometimes  the  super- 
intendent can  improve  the  teacher  by  a  good  talk,  by  sug- 
gestions as  to  method,  by  placing  the  right  book  in  his 
hand.  It  may  be  a  case  of  misfit  in  that  particular  class, 
or  that  the  class  is  too  large,  or  a  misplacing  of  the  class,  or 
such  a  week-day  pressure  that  there  is  no  time  for  study. 
But  if  the  case  does  not  yield  to  treatment,  and  the  teacher 
has  absolutely  no  grip,  suggest  a  change  to  a  Bible  class 
or  to  some  place  of  service  other  than  as  a  teacher.  One 
superintendent  helped  his  knowledge  of  such  teachers  by  a 
questionnaire  asking  the  teachers'  plan  and  method  on  a 
number  of  subjects  covering  records,  absentees,  lesson  ob- 
jectives, lesson  methods  (whether  lecture,  discussion, 
question  and  answers,  or  recitation),  assignment  of  work 
to  pupils,  manual  work,  prayer  in  class,  and  activities  of 
the  class. 

(e)  The  insubordinate  teacher. — That  is  a  case  for  pa- 
tient, kindly  explanation  and  conference.  If  the  teacher 
is  approached  in  this  spirit,  rarely  will  it  be  necessary  to 
go  to  extremes  in  such  a  case.  The  writer  has  had  only  one 
such  case  in  twenty-five  years.  It  was  cured  by  a  call  of 
the  superintendent.    That  teacher  is  now  an  earnest  friend. 

(/)  The  teacher  with  a  holhy. — Broaden  the  viewpoint  by 
suggesting  helpful  books  and  by  a  tactful  talk,  not  running 
down  the  hobby  but  furnishing  some  new  objectives. 

(fir)  The  slighted  teacher. — You  have  had  such.  When 
you  discover  the  case  heal  it  with  a  word  of  explanation 
before  the  breach  widens.  A  large  nature  can  afford  to 
conciliate  even  where  there  was  no  intention  of  overlook- 
ing or  hurting. 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  HIS  TEACHERS  19S 

(h)  The  late  teacher. — A  kindly,  tactful  talk  suggesting 
the  great  help  early  attendance  would  be  to  you  and  to  the 
class  will  help  in  most  cases. 

(i)  The  fiipp<^nt  teacher. — Cure  this  fault  by  seeing  that 
the  teacher  is  present  at  a  workers'  conference  in  which  the 
discussion  subject  is  "How  to  encourage  my  pupils  to  be 
reverent."  Have  a  personal  talk  with  the  teacher  over 
the  Christian  decision  of  each  member  of  the  class  and 
then  let  the  teacher  and  superintendent  pray  for  greater 
earnestness  in  the  work  of  soul  winning. 

(6)  Testing  the  teacher's  work. — The  class  work  may  be 
tested  by  the  review  questions,  the  written  review  work, 
interest  during  the  lesson,  the  superintendent  himself  sub- 
stituting in  the  class,  the  teacher's  preparation  for  the 
workers'  conference,  or  the  questionnaire  suggested  on  page 
192. 

The  monthly  teacher's  report  of  class  conditions,  home 
calls,  conversions,  and  other  facts  will,  in  addition  to  his 
own  observation,  enable  the  superintendent  to  keep  reason- 
ably informed. 

3.  Honoring  the  school's  helpers.  (1)  Honorary 
workers'  list. — Recognition  of  long  service  in  the  school 
should  be  made  by  suitable  certificate  and  by  enrollment 
on  an  honor  roll.  This  will  be  prized  by  teachers  and  is 
an  encouragement  to  faithful  service. 

(2)  A  veterans'  class. — One  school  had  a  "veterans'  class," 
consisting  of  former  teachers  who  for  different  reasons  were 
out  of  active  service.  The  social  life  of  the  class  was  main- 
tained at  a  fine  point.  The  class  became  a  help  to  the 
superintendent,  who  promoted  to  it  some  of  the  maimed,  the 
halt,  and  the  blind  of  his  teaching  staff. 

(3)  "In  memoriam." — The  memory  of  teachers  who  have 
graduated  to  the  eternal  service  should  be  treasured  in  an 
"in  memoriam"  list,  which  should  be  kept  displayed.  If 
the  names  of  those  who  labor  are  inscribed  on  the  hands  of 
our  King,  we  should  not  be  forgetful  of  their  loving  and 
faithful  toil. 


194  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Bibliography 
Sunday  School  Success,  Wells. 

Topic  for  Special  Study 
The  advisability  of  a  paid  teaching  force. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  outstanding  qualities  should  a  Sunday-school 
teacher  possess? 

2.  What  natural  sources  of  teacher  supply  are  there? 

3.  Where  must  we  look  most  largely  for  our  future 
teacher  supply? 

4.  Which  class  of  teachers  are  best  for  effective  work: 
the  trained  young  people  of  the  school  or  older  teachers 
gathered  where  possible? 

5.  Suggest  several  plans  for  solution  of  the  substitute 
problem. 

6.  What  is  the  superintendent's  duty  with  reference  to 
his  teachers? 

7.  In  what  ways  can  he  be  most  helpful  to  them? 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  WORKERS'  CONFERENCE 

This  gathering  is  known  also  as  the  "workers'  council" 
and  "workers'  meeting,"  It  was  formerly  known  as  the 
"teachers'  meeting";  but  this  name  has  been  superseded, 
as  both  teachers  and  officers  are  included  in  the  workers' 
conference. 

There  are  five  objectives  in  such  gatherings:  (a)  the 
school  business  items;  (&)  the  problems  of  school  manage- 
ment; (c)  the  teacher's  class  problems;  (d)  methods,  rather 
than  material,  of  teaching  the  lesson;  (e)  normal  material 
and  drill  to  aid  the  teacher's  personal  equipment.  A  super- 
intendent cannot  well  omit  a  meeting  having  such  impor- 
tant objects.  The  meeting  is  vital  to  the  school's  largest 
success.  It  is  essential  to  the  teacher's  help  and  training. 
It  gives  power  and  point  to  the  Sunday  lesson  session.  It 
is  the  superintendent's  close-range  contact  with  his  teach- 
ers.    It  promotes  the  social  life. 

Where  the  uniform  lessons  are  still  in  use,  an  important 
function  of  the  meeting  will  be  the  consideration  of  the 
lesson  for  the  following  Sunday,  This  is  treated  in  detail 
below.  It  should  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  lack 
of  a  uniform  lesson  makes  this  meeting  unnecessary,  much 
less  impossible.  Its  most  important  functions  still  remain, 
as  may  be  realized  from  a  consideration  of  the  objectives 
named. 

The  principal  thing  is  to  agree  upon  the  necessity  of  a 
meeting  with  such  a  program  of  work.  The  details  must 
be  worked  out  according  to  local  conditions,  with  such  help 
as  comes  from  the  experience  of  other  schools,  and  with 
all  the  push,  patience,  and  energy  the  superintendent  can 
muster. 

195 


196  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

1.  How  to  promote  the  conference.  Make  up  your 
mind  that  the  workers'  conference  is  absolutely  essential, 
that  it  will  become  a  regular  feature  of  the  school  work. 
Call  your  officers  and  teachers  into  conference.  Get  them 
to  desire  it  by  the  attractiveness  of  the  plans  presented 
and  to  enroll  in  writing  for  its  regular  support.  If  there 
should  be  special  opposition,  get  approval  to  a  plan  to  under- 
take it  for  three  months  on  trial. 

Invite  young  people  of  the  school  who  should  have  the 
benefit  of  this  meeting  as  a  stimulus  toward  future  work. 
Ask  all  class  presidents  to  attend  the  conference.  Enlist 
the  teacher  who  feels  he  does  not  need  it  for  himself  in  the 
interest  of  helping  others.  Encourage  the  new  teacher  by 
giving  him  a  part  he  can  easily  take  without  disadvantage. 
Strive  for  a  100-per-cent  attendance,  including  officers.  Make 
the  meeting  so  interesting  that  no  one  can  afford  to  stay 
away.  Have  a  printed  or  typewritten  schedule  of  meetings 
distributed,  showing  special  weekly  or  monthly  topics  and 
speakers.  Just  before  the  meeting  send  to  irregular  at- 
tendants word  of  the  meeting,  topic,  and  a  special  word  of 
invitation.  Get  the  department  superintendents  interested 
through  a  competitive  plan,  announcing  for  a  time  the 
attendance  by  departments  and  relative  percentage. 

2.  Conditions  of  success.  No  one  plan  can  be  sug- 
gested which  will  meet  the  conditions  of  all  schools.  Work- 
ers' conferences  have  been  attempted  in  many  places  and 
have  failed  sometimes  for  want  of  plan,  sometimes  for  lack 
of  push.  They  have  been  a  success  in  others  through  push 
and  the  combination  of  features  that  have  made  them 
steadily  attractive.  They  will  not  run  themselves  except 
ing  downhill.  The  social  feature  has  entered  helpfully  into 
many  of  the  successful  plans. 

3.  Character  of  the  conferences.  The  workers'  con- 
ference may  be  a  weekly,  a  monthly,  or  a  quarterly  affair, 
depending  on  conditions  and  the  objectives  to  be  gained. 

(1)  The  iveekly  icorkers'  conference. — A  weekly  meeting 
is  to  be  preferred.     It  should  be  held  at  the  church  if  pos- 


THE  WORKERS'  CONFERENCE  197 

sible  or  at  some  other  suitable  place.  From  an  hour  to 
an  hour  and  a  quarter  should  be  given  to  it.  A  favorite 
plan,  combining  social  and  other  features,  is  for  the  workers 
to  gather  at  the  church  or  a  home  at  six  or  six-fifteen  for 
supper  arranged  by  the  hostess  or  a  committee,  and  toward 
which  each  one  contributes  from  ten  to  twenty-five  cents, 
according  to  cost.  If  the  gathering  is  at  the  church,  and 
before  the  prayer  meeting,  the  supper  is  disposed  of,  and 
the  meeting  called  to  order  at  six-forty-five  or  seven  o'clock. 
An  hour  is  then  given  to  business  items,  teachers'  and 
school  problems,  and  the  lesson.  If  the  conference  is  not 
hurried  on  account  of  the  prayer  meeting,  a  fuller  program 
is  possible,  including  a  normal  drill  or  brief  papers  by 
teachers,  or  a  chapter  or  review  of  a  book  in  the  teachers' 
library.  Or  the  meeting,  if  held  at  a  home  or  the  church, 
may  be  concluded  with  a  social  time,  the  officers  in  turn 
providing  light  refreshments.  The  lesson  study  period  of 
the  weekly  conference  may  be  adapted  to  the  International 
Group  Lessons  as  well  as  to  the  Uniform  Lessons.  When 
the  study  period  is  reached,  under  the  plan  of  the  same 
graded  lesson  for  the  whole  department,  the  departmental 
teachers  are  separately  grouped  for  this  lesson. 

In  some  of  our  best  schools  the  weekly  conference  takes 
on  the  form  of  an  institute.  These  plans  will  be  illustrated 
later. 

(2)  The  vionthly  workers'  conference. — From  the  lesson 
standpoint  this  resolves  itself  into  a  preview  of  a  month's 
lessons  for  either  the  uniform  or  the  group  lessons.  That 
preview  may  be  given  by  four  different  teachers,  represent- 
ing different  departments,  or  by  one  person,  who  briefly 
emphasizes  the  teaching  points  in  the  four  lessons  with 
reference  to  the  needs  of  teachers  of  different  ages. 

From  the  standpoint  of  business,  teachers'  and  school 
problems,  and  the  training  of  teachers  the  monthly  con- 
ference will  include  many  of  the  features  of  the  weekly 
conference.     Examples   of  these  will  be  given   below. 

Where  the  lesson  is  not  featured,  the  monthly  conference 


198  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

may  take  on  one  of  two  forms:  entirely  separate  confer- 
ences of  departmental  ofHcers  and  teachers,  in  which  purely 
departmental  questions  will  be  considered;  or  a  gathering 
of  all  the  workers  for  supper,  the  consideration  of  school 
questions,  the  presentation  of  some  educational  topic  of 
general  interest,  and  then  the  separation  into  groups  for 
consideration  of  problems  peculiar  to  the  departmental 
worker. 

One  school  that  met  in  a  monthly  departmental  confer- 
ence divided  the  evenings  into  four  parts:  (a)  old  business; 
(&)  new  business;  (c)  pupil  study;  teaching  methods;  how 
best  to  apply  to  the  pupils'  needs  the  outstanding  points 
in  the  departmental  lessons  for  the  succeeding  month;  (d) 
social  half  hour. 

Following  the  suggestion  of  the  Philadelphia  Sunday 
School  Association  the  schools  of  that  city,  in  a  campaign 
for  "better  schools,"  adopted  a  program  of  topic  discus- 
sions and  forward  steps  at  monthly  workers'  meetings  for 
ten  months.  The  outline  was:  September — supper,  va- 
cation experiences;  topic,  "Three  Advance  Steps  for  Our 
School  This  Year."  October — at  home  of  superintendent; 
"The  Value  of  the  Community  Training  School  and  How  to 
Enroll  Members  From  Your  School."  November — "The 
Preparation  of  a  Lesson  for  Teaching"  by  two  teachers. 
December — "How  to  Guide  Each  Pupil  to  Christian  Decision 
and  Into  Church  Membership."  January — "New  Equipment 
Needed  and  How  to  Get  It."  February — "The  Young 
People's  Work  in  Our  School  and  Church."  March — 
"Training  in  Worship."  April — "Training  in  Giving."  May 
— "Organizing  the  Missionary  Program  of  the  School." 
June — "How  I  May  Know  Whether  My  Teaching  Is  Effec- 
tive." 

(3)  The  quarterly  workers'  conference. — This  conference 
eliminates  the  lesson  and  often  the  training  or  educational 
features.  It  becomes  a  gathering  of  all  the  officers  and 
teachers,  including  supper  and  social  features,  reports  of 
the  general  and   departmental  officers   and   committees,   a 


THE  WORKERS'  CONFERENCE  199 

consideration  of  some  outstanding  school  needs  and  prob- 
lems, and  forward-looking  plans  and  programs  for  the  en- 
tire school.  Some  of  these  features  will  be  considered  in  a 
later  paragraph.  % 

4.  Some  successful  plans.  A  plan  carried  out  by  Dr. 
Don  Kinney  at  Newton,  Kansas,  included  a  weekly  gather- 
ing at  the  home  and  an  hour's  program  covering  fifteen 
minutes  for  a  book  review  of  new  books  in  their  teachers' 
library,  a  ten-minute  drill,  twenty  minutes  devoted  to  lesson 
points  and  discussion,  and  fifteen  mihiftes  to  business  and 
social  items.  The  Methodist  Sunday  School  at  Opelika, 
Alabama,  has  for  a  long  time  maintained  a  weekly  council 
with  an  advertised  program,  including  two  or  three  live 
topics  on  management  and  teachers'  problems,  and  the  les- 
son topic. 

The  plan  in  operation  at  the  First  Baptist  Sunday  School 
of  Los  Angeles  provides  for  a  Friday-evening  institute  from 
October  to  June.  This  plan  provides  for  the  grouping  of  all 
special  study  classes,  business  meetings  of  various  church 
organizations,  and  genera]  committee  meetings  on  this 
one  evening.  The  time  schedule  is:  6:15  p.  m.,  supper;  7:30, 
general  assembly;  8:00,  first  class  period;  8:40,  second 
class  period;  9:20,  adjournment.  During  the  supper  the 
business  is  transacted.  The  assembly  includes  stereopticon 
lectures,  dramatic  missionary  tableaux,  class  demonstra- 
tions, musical  recitals  by  the  church  choir  or  Sunday-school 
orchestra,  and  special  addresses.  In  the  first  study  period 
six  classes  convene,  and  four  in  the  second.  There  are 
classes  in  teacher  training,  College  Bible  Class,  Church 
Membership  Class,  Woman's  Society  Study  Class,  Men's 
Brotherhood  Mission  Study  Class,  and  Spanish-language 
study  classes.  In  addition  a  special  teachers'  preparation 
class  is  held  for  three  months  from  October  to  December, 
covering  generally  the  topics:  "Our  Teaching  Force:  Its 
Relation  to  the  Church,  School,  and  People";  "Our  School 
Plan:  How  We  Are  Organized  for  School  Administration"; 
"The  Educational  Plan  of  Our  Church";  "Department  and 


200  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Class:  How  the  Students  Are  Divided,  Graded,  and  Or- 
ganized"; "The  Teacher's  Personal  Prayer  Life";  "The 
Teacher  as  a  Person";  "The  Teacher's  Personal  Prepara- 
tion." 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  of  Pasa- 
dena, California,  put  over  a  midsummer  school  and  Sunday- 
school  program  attended  by  nearly  one  hundred  officers  and 
teachers.  The  plan  included  a  supper  at  six-fifteen  and  a 
one-hour  program,  including  instructional  methods,  depart- 
mental problems,  cooperation  of  all  church  and  Sunday- 
school  societies,  inspirational  talks,  educational  libraries 
and  literature,  teacher  training,  and  Rally  Day  planning. 

At  the  Foundry  Church  Sunday  School,  Washington,  D.  C, 
the  program  of  the  weekly  institute  included  supper  at 
5:30  p.  M.;  classes,  6:10  to  6:50;  Bible  study  and  devo- 
tional, 8:00  to  8:45.  The  classes  studied  (1)  church  his- 
tory; (2)  Bible;  (3)  child  study;  (4)  organization  and 
administration  of  the  church  school;  (5)  how  to  teach  re- 
ligion; (6)  training  of  the  devotional  life;  (7)  a  Method- 
ist church  and  its  work. 

The  monthly  meeting  of  the  First  Christian  Sunday 
School  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  provided  for  supper,  brief 
reports  of  officers,  some  one  educational  feature,  and  the 
discussion  of  new  plans.  Another  school  began  with  supper 
at  six-fifteen,  then  twenty  minutes  of  business,  followed  by 
a  course  on  principles  and  methods  of  religious  education, 
then  the  prayer  meeting.  Still  another  school,  after  the 
usual  preliminaries,  separated  into  four  divisions — Officers, 
Children's,  Young  People's,  and  Adult — each  division  con- 
sidering problems  peculiar  to  itself.  The  Children's  Di- 
vision workers,  for  instance,  considered  principles  and  meth- 
ods, types  of  worship;  the  Young  People's  Division  the  four- 
fold life  and  the  organized  class. 

In  my  own  school  the  plan  is  that  of  monthly  depart- 
mental and  quarterly  conferences.  Our  plans  have  included 
many  varieties  of  the  programs  outlined  above,  including 
the   workers'   institute,  covering  two   terms  providing  for 


THE  WORKERS'  CONFERENCE  201 

three  periods — devotional,  and  educational  or  Bible  period 
of  interest  to  all,  and  a  departmental  period,  with  appro- 
priate textbooks. 

5.  Special  iteuis  in.  the  workers'  conference.  Some 
of  the  items  making  up  the  workers'  conference,  whether 
weekly,  monthly,  or  quarterly,  we  will  especially  emphasize. 

(1)  Teacher  training. — The  time  is  not  far  distant,  we 
trust,  when  it  will  be  required  of  every  worker  that  he 
shall,  before  taking  up  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school, 
prepare  himself  through  the  study  of  courses  in  the  Bible, 
in  the  principles  of  religious  education,  and  in  Sunday- 
school  methods,  either  in  a  class  conducted  during  the 
Sunday-school  hour,  in  a  week-night  meeting,  or  by  a  cor- 
respondence-study course.  For  the  present,  however,  we 
have  many  teachers  who  are  not  so  trained  and  who  must 
be  helped  to  a  greater  efficiency  through  drills  in  the  weekly 
workers'  meeting  or  in  some  other  form  of  week-night  meet- 
ing. Full  reference  to  the  standard  courses  and  specializa- 
tion material  has  been  made  in  other  chapters.  Selections 
from  this  course  of  those  parts  most  helpful  to  the  workers 
must  be  made  for  the  workers'  conference — that  is,  where 
the  workers  are  not  taking  the  complete  course. 

For  the  conduct  of  such  a  class  the  teachers  should  be 
supplied  with  the  texts  used,  the  purchase  being  mad© 
either  by  the  individuals  or  by  the  school.  Where  the  study 
is  required  before  one  may  take  up  the  work  of  teaching, 
it  would  not  be  amiss  for  the  school  to  bear  at  least  a  part 
of  the  expense  of  the  course. 

(2)  The  "problem''  feature  of  the  meeting. — Problems 
may  be  selected  weekly  by  the  superintendent  or  by  the 
program  committee.  Two  for  each  meeting  should  be  suf- 
ficient— one  a  teacher's  problem  and  one  a  school  problem. 
These  may  be  assigned  previously,  presented  briefly,  and 
then  discussed  by  all.  Sometimes  a  round-table  leaflet, 
embracing  a  large  number  of  subjects,  may  be  used,  and 
selections  made  at  the  meeting  by  those  present  for  informal 
discussion  within  the  limits  of  the  time  allowance.     The 


S02  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

local  conditions  will  govern  the  topics  selected,  but  there 
are  problems  common  to  all  schools,  some  of  which  may  be 
suggested  for  use:  How  to  secure  punctuality.  Our  Sun- 
day-school singing:  how  improved?  What  drill  or  supple- 
mental work  should  the  school  undertake?  How  increase 
Bible  bringing?  Promotion  Day  and  its  exercises.  How  to 
advertise  the  school.  The  Home  Department:  methods  for 
increasing  it.  How  increase  the  school's  interest  in  mis- 
sions? How  can  the  service  of  worship  be  made  more  in- 
teresting? Decision  Day:  the  best  plans  for  it.  How  hold 
our  larger  boys?  How  increase  the  school's  offerings?  Our 
absentees:  how  reached?  Rally  Day:  how  to  make  it  suc- 
cessful? How  most  effectively  to  reach  the  parents  of  the 
iSGh'ool.  The  teachers'  problems  may  include:  How  to  in- 
terest the  indifferent  pupil.  What  is  the  best  use  to  make 
of  the  talkative  pupil?  How  to  get  the  pupil  to  study  the 
lesson  at  home.  How  to  gain  attention.  How  to  question 
wisely.  How  to  use  the  element  of  prayer  as  a  teaching 
factor.  Sometimes  it  is  well  to  refer  a  teacher's  problem 
to  a  teacher,  the  answer  to  be  given  at  the  following  meet- 
ing in  the  words  of  some  Sunday-school  authority.  Teach- 
ers should  be  encouraged  to  bring  a  list  of  personal  or  class 
problems  for  discussion  in  an  "experience"  period. 

(3)  Other  features. — Various  other  features  may  oc- 
casionally be  introduced.  Read  and  discuss  weekly  a  chap- 
ter in  some  helpful  book,  such  as  Teaching  and  Teachers, 
Trumbull;  The  Boy  and  the  Church,  Foster;  or  The  Oirl 
in  Her  Teens,  Slattery.  A  review  of  these  or  other  books 
may  be  given  by  the  librarian  or  a  teacher  to  inspire  a 
desire  for  their  reading.  Invite  a  class  president  or  some 
promising  pupil  to  give  his  idea  of  the  school  and  its  needs 
from  the  pupil's  standpoint. 

(4)  The  devotional  opening. — Some  teacher  or  officer 
should  lead  this.  A  song  and  prayer  or  several  prayers 
probably  will  be  sufficient,  but  a  prayer  topic  will  be  found 
helpful.  This  should  be  related,  if  possible,  to  some  special 
need  of  the  school  or  should  look  toward  the  special  school 


THE  WORKERS'  CONFERENCE  203 

plan  for  the  following  Sunday.  It  would  be  a  good  plan  to 
sing  one  or  two  of  the  new  school  songs  as  an  aid  in  the 
singing  of  these  by  the  school. 

(5)  Plans  for  the  lesson  period. — If  the  International 
Graded  Lessons  are  in  use,  the  workers  may  separate  into 
department  groups.  The  superintendent  of  each  department 
or  a  specially  appointed  leader  will  present  departmental 
problems  and  methods.  If  the  Improved  Uniform  Lessons 
are  used,  one  meeting  for  all  will  suffice.  Notebooks  or 
pads  and  pencils  should  be  provided  by  the  teachers  or  by 
the  school,  together  with  a  blackboard  and  such  charts  or 
maps  as  may  be  required  to  give  the  lesson  setting.  The 
lesson  period  should  be  led  by  the  person  best  fitted  to 
do  so,  whether  pastor,  superintendent,  or  a  teacher.  Teach- 
ing methods  are  many.  The  best  plans  presume  that  the 
lesson  has  at  least  been  read  by  the  teachers  before  coming 
and  the  lesson  facts  mastered.  This  will  save  going  over 
the  lesson  in  unnecessary  detail.  The  superintendent  can 
assist  his  teachers  in  this  home  preparation  by  suggesting 
a  day-by-day  plan  for  the  teacher.  Mr.  Trumbull's  leaflet 
on  How  to  Plan  the  Lesson  for  Teaching  or  something  simi- 
lar should  be  distributed  to  all  teachers.  The  plan  of  hav- 
ing a  different  teacher  for  each  lesson  may  work  in  some 
places  but  is  open  to  the  objection  that  the  results  may  be 
irregular,  and  the  attendance  diminish.  But  the  teachers 
can  be  encouraged  to  take  some  part.  There  is  general 
agreement  that  the  lecture  method  will  not  work  as  a  regu- 
lar program.  The  text  may  be  read  verse  by  verse  from 
the  American  Revised  Version.  A  teacher  may  prepare 
the  lesson  as  he  would  teach  it  to  his  class,  then  have  the 
teachers  criticize  the  plan.  Verses  may  be  given  out  to  dif- 
ferent teachers  with  a  request  for  the  most  practical  thought 
on  each  verse  and  an  illustration  of  it. 

How  to  bring  the  lesson  into  the  terms  of  the  life  of  the 
boys  and  girls  of  to-day,  so  that  it  shall  seem  real,  is  a  vital 
need.  Get  someone  to  tell  the  lesson  story  in  that  fashion 
occasionally.     Some  lessons  will  have  outstanding  difficul- 


204  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ties.  Let  these  be  attacked  at  the  very  beginning.  Several 
members  may  be  asked  to  bring  a  leading  thought  and  an 
illustration  for  present-day  life.  For  variety  the  teachers 
may  be  taught  as  a  junior  class  or  a  class  of  some  other 
department,  the  teachers  answering  or  asking  questions 
just  as  boys  and  girls  would.  The  lesson  may  be  presented 
on  a  preview  plan,  with  a  key  word  as  its  central  thought, 
to  fit  into  a  quarterly  review  plan.  Or  the  golden  texts 
may  be  used  as  the  links  of  the  quarterly  chain.  Good 
questioning  on  a  particular  lesson  may  be  illustrated  by  a 
set  of  questions  prepared  by  a  teacher  and  criticized.  Or 
the  quarterly  printed  questions  may  be  taken  up  and  criti- 
cized. How  to  illustrate  the  lesson  and  how  best  to  review 
it  may  be  presented  by  a  teacher  in  the  same  way.  A  work- 
able outline  may  have  the  same  treatment,  several  present- 
ing their  plans  for  criticism.  At  the  meeting's  close  a 
summary  of  best  points  by  the  leader  or  someone  well 
qualified  for  this  will  be  worth  while. 

A  plan  tried  with  general  success  is  the  advance  assign- 
ment to  the  teachers  (in  writing)  of  certain  questions  or 
parts  in  the  lesson.  These  assignments  may  be  in  the  form 
of  questions  that  bring  out  the  salient  points,  or  the  "angle" 
method.  By  the  latter  method  each  one  receiving  an  assign- 
ment contributes  briefly  the  "angle"  called  for.  For  ex- 
ample: Angle  Number  1 — Approach:  Give  the  subject  of 
the  last  lesson,  a  brief  treatment  of  the  intervening  his- 
tory, time,  place,  and  circumstances  leading  up  to  this 
lesson.  Angle  Number  2 — The  lesson  story:  Give  the  les- 
son story  in  your  own  words.  Angle  Number  3 — Analysis: 
Give  a  simple  working  outline  for  studying  and  teaching 
the  lesson.  Angle  Number  4 — References:  Give  helpful 
references  and  parallel  passages,  showing  how  they  bear 
upon  the  lesson.  Angle  Number  5 — Biography:  Give  names 
of  persons,  classes,  and  nations  mentioned  or  referred  to. 
Angle  Number  6 — Orientalisms:  Give  any  Oriental  customs 
or  manners  peculiar  to  this  lesson.  Angle  Number  7 — 
Principal  teachings:    Give  the  principal  truths  most  forci- 


THE  WORKERS'  CONFERENCE  205 

bly  taught.  Angle  Number  8 — First  step:  Give  a  good  way 
to  introduce  this  lesson  to  your  class  so  as  to  gain  attention 
from  the  start.  Angle  Number  9 — Primary:  Give  those 
features  of  this  lesson  which  are  best  adapted  to  primary 
children.  Angle  Number  10 — Objects:  Give  a  list  of  any 
objects  that  might  be  profitably  shown  in  teaching  this 
lesson.  Angle  Number  11 — Illustrations:  Give  a  few  inci-, 
dents  or  facts  that  will  serve  as  illustrations.  Angle  Num- 
ber 12 — Practical  points:  Give  the  most  practical  points 
in  personally  applying  the  lesson  to  the  everyday  life  of 
the  pupils.  One  school  gets  out  a  quarterly  folder,  printing 
these  angles  and  a  special  topic  for  each  week's  discussion, 
with  a  blank  form  to  be  filled  in  by  the  superintendent,  as- 
signing to  the  teachers  a  definite  angle  for  each  week  for 
presentation  within  a  three-minute  limit. 

(6)  The  business  items. — Let  the  officers'  cabinet  elimi- 
nate the  "dry"  business  items,  which  may  be  posted  by  the 
secretary  for  those  desiring  to  read  them.  Where  the  school 
work  is  done  largely  by  committees,  these  reports  and  rec- 
ommendations will  be  taken  up.  Teachers'  monthly  class 
reports  may  be  read  by  the  teachers  present  and  by  the 
secretary  for  those  absent.  If  the  number  of  classes  is 
large,  a  summary  of  these  reports  may  be  given  by  the 
secretary,  stress  being  placed  on  encouraging  items  to 
stimulate  class  and  visiting  work.  Department  superin- 
tendents may  report  for  their  department  items  of  special 
interest  in  department  efficiency  and  progress.  Teachers 
will  thus  get  a  glimpse  of  the  entire  work  of  the  school. 
New  teachers  may  be  introduced.  Neighborhood  problems 
may  be  discussed,  as  well  as  some  stimulating  school  topic, 
such  as  "A  School  Motto,  Colors,  and  Flower,"  or  "The 
Class  Spirit:    How  to  Promote  It." 

(7)  The  annual  business  meeting. — This  may  have  a 
social  side,  but  should  be  a  separate  affair  from  the  annual 
social.  A  good  plan  is  to  meet  at  the  church  for  supper 
and  then  take  up  the  evening's  business.  This  will  consist 
in  the  reports  of  the  year's  work  by  departments  and  com- 


206  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

mittees.  If  prepared  with  snap  and  with  those  illustrative 
details  which  brighten  up  such  reports,  the  gathering  will 
partake  of  the  enthusiastic  qualities  of  a  Sunday-school 
convention,  and  the  report  of  "our  department"  will  be 
eagerly  listened  to  by  every  teacher  in  it.  This  affair  will 
be  an  objective,  with  an  element  of  department  competition 
in  it  to  stimulate  all  the  workers.  The  outstanding  items 
in  the  reports  should  be  given  the  school  and  church  and 
published  in  the  church  paper  and  in  the  local  press. 
The  election  of  officers  should  follow. 

Bibliography 

Sunday  School  Success,  Wells. 

The  Teachers'  Meetings:    Their  Necessity  and  Methods, 
Trumbull. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  importance  of  the  workers'  conference  to  the  super- 
intendent. 

2.  What  is  the  object  of  the  workers'  meeting? 

3.  What  items  should  be  included  in  its  program? 

4.  Suggest  plans  of  building  up  attendance. 

5.  How  can  the  business  meeting  be  made  interesting? 

6.  Name  five  important  school  problems  for  discussion, 

7.  Name  three  different  plans  for  the  lesson  period  for 
the  workers'  meeting. 

8.  What  is  the  value  of  departmental  conferences? 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL 

The  school  exists  for  the  pupil,  for  winning  his  loyalty 
to  Christ,  for  his  spiritual  culture,  for  his  training  for 
service.  It  is,  or  should  be,  the  enlargement  of  the  true 
Christian  family  life,  the  second  step  in  that  development 
of  life  which  has  its  consummation  in  the  eternal  home  life 
with  God.  We  know  that  in  multitudes  of  cases  there  is  no 
true  home  life,  and  this  constitutes  a  larger  reason  why  the 
school  should  not  fail,  through  its  personnel,  atmosphere, 
and  activities,  in  giving  the  pupil  the  right  conception  of 
life's  meaning  and  purpose.  No  conception  of  our  duty  to 
the  pupil  can  suffice  which  does  not  include  a  vital  interest 
in  his  entire  life,  week-day  as  well  as  Sunday. 

1.  Attaching;  the  pupil  to  the  school.  (1)  Welcom- 
ing the  new  pupil. — How  definitely  we  recall  that  first  Sun- 
day in  the  new  Sunday  school  when  the  shining  face  and 
warm  handclasp  of  the  superintendent  made  it,  that  very 
Sunday,  "my  school"!  It  was  June  to  us.  And  how  well 
you  may  recall  that  Sunday  when  you  wandered  into  the 
new  school,  found  a  seat  somewhere,  were  finally  "dug  out" 
by  an  officer,  and  were  taken  to  a  strange  class,  where  the 
teacher  failed  to  ask  you  your  name  and  did  not  tell  you 
his,  and  you  went  out  in  tears  and  with  a  longing  for  the 
warm  fellowship  of  the  old  school!    It  was  December  to  you. 

Have  a  welcome  or  "friendly  grip"  committee  to  introduce 
the  pupil  to  the  assignment  superintendent  or  secretary, 
who  assists  the  pupil  to  sign  an  application  form.  Then 
Introduce  him  to  the  class  or  department  superintendent. 
The  same  or  the  following  Sunday  invite  the  pupil  forward 
and,  with  a  cordial  word  of  welcome  and  introduction,  pre- 
sent him  with  a  school  certificate  of  membership,  the  school 

207 


208  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

or  department  singing  a  verse  of  welcome  or  repeating  a 
sentence  of  welcome.  The  names  of  new  pupils  may  be 
written  upon  the  blackboard  for  recognition,  showing  de- 
partment or  class  assignment,  and  may  be  inscribed  in  a 
new-pupil  record,  to  be  hung  upon  the  wall.  The  school 
pin  may  be  given  to  the  new  pupil  as  a  part  of  the  intro- 
duction service.  On  the  Monday  following  his  admission 
mail  the  new  pupil  a  welcome  letter,  inclosing  Hints  to  the 
Pupil,  a  leaflet  outlining  the  school  duties,  plans,  and  privi- 
leges. If  your  school  has  several  departments,  the  letter 
should  differ  for  each  department,  so  that  a  different  letter 
may  be  received  by  members  of  the  same  family  upon  join- 
ing the  school.  The  letter  should  ask  for  the  fullest  co- 
operation and  suggest  that  a  change  of  class  will  be  ef- 
fected if  the  pupil  should  not  feel  at  home  in  the  new  class. 
A  letter  to  the  parent  may  be  sent  at  the  same  time,  noting 
with  pleasure  that  the  child  has  become  a  member,  inviting 
a  visit,  and  suggesting  some  plans  of  home  cooperation. 

The  teacher  should  be  requested  to  visit  the  home  of  the 
new  pupil  the  following  week,  making  a  report  of  such 
visitation  on  a  card  form.  This  should  show  the  church 
relationships  of  the  family  and  the  names  of  others  in  the 
home  who  are  not  in  attendance  upon  Sunday  school. 

A  once-a-month  or  once-a-quarter  introduction  service  may 
be  preferred  to  the  welcome  each  Sunday,  the  enrollment 
secretary  reading  the  names  and  the  names  of  those  bring- 
ing in  the  new  pupils,  the  service  then  carried  out  as  sug- 
gested above.  Periodically  a  reception  service  to  new  pu- 
pils may  be  arranged  on  a  week-night,  when  they  shall  be 
designated  by  special  ribbons,  and  some  "get  acquainted" 
games  played. 

(2)  Birthday  recognition. — Young  and  old  appreciate 
such  recognition.  The  letters  and  gifts  are  treasured  for 
years.  The  birthdays  of  the  members  of  the  whole  school 
should  be  so  remembered,  the  adults  and  Home  Department 
members  no  less  than  the  youngest.  Frequently  the  ap- 
preciation of  the  adult  is  larger  because  he  is  less  remem- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       209 

bered  at  home  than  the  child.  The  birthday  record  of  each 
member  should  be  kept,  by  the  birthday  superintendent  or 
the  birthday  secretary  of  the  school  or  department,  in  a 
card-index  form  arranged  by  months,  showing  name,  ad- 
dress, birthday,  department,  and  class.  A  birthday  register 
arranged  by  months  is  sometimes  used,  or  a  monthly  birth- 
day calendar  hung  upon  the  school  wall;  but  the  card  index 
is  the  quickest  to  handle  and  can  be  kept  clean  of  cancel- 
lations. 

A  birthday  card  or  letter  with  card,  differing  each  year 
and  different  in  each  department,  should  be  mailed  or  de- 
livered by  the  messenger  service.  This  card  may  be  es- 
pecially printed  to  carry  a  seasonal  reference,  with  quota- 
tions from  great  men.  One  school  used  cards  of  foreign- 
missionary  scenes  and  work,  obtained  from  its  denomina- 
tional missionary  society.  This  is  specially  appropriate  if 
the  birthday  offering  goes  for  missions.  An  envelope  for 
the  offering  may  be  inclosed,  the  object  of  the  offering  being 
stated.  For  the  pupil  above  the  Primary  Department  a  red 
carnation  for  the  boys  and  white  for  the  girls  will  make  a 
pleasing  additional  recognition.  For  the  younger  pupils 
the  Sunday  recognition  may  be  more  elaborate,  including 
the  march,  with  the  birthday  banner,  birthday  song,  birth- 
day text  (Psa.  90.  12),  and  the  offering  to  some  particular 
object  of  charity,  such  as  a  child's  bed  in  a  hospital.  Some- 
times one  Sunday  in  each  month  is  set  aside  as  Birthday 
Sunday.  On  that  day  officers,  teachers,  and  pupils  whose 
birthdays  have  occurred  within  the  month  march  to  the 
front,  each  depositing  in  a  special  receptacle  as  many  pen- 
nies as  they  are  years  old.  Appropriate  Scripture  verses 
are  recited,  such  as  James  1.  17;  Matt.  10.  8&;  2  Cor.  9.  7; 
and  Prov.  23.  26.  "God  Will  Take  Care  of  You"  is  sung,  and 
a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  offered.  Often  a  monthly  birth- 
day party  is  given  by  the  school  on  a  week  night. 

(3)  The  pupiVs  sex  life. — No  subject  is  more  vital  yet 
more  difficult  to  handle.  It  is  so  intimately  related  to 
physical,  soul,  and  character  development  that  it  should  not 


210  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

be  avoided.  There  is  no  question  but  that  the  pupil  will  be 
grateful  for  this  interest,  and  that  it  will  prove  a  new  means 
of  attachment  to  the  teacher  and  school.  And  in  most  cases 
the  parents  will  appreciate  the  interest  if  it  is  wisely 
manifested. 

It  is  agreed  that  the  first  duty  of  entering  frankly  and 
helpfully  with  the  pupil  into  this  untraveled  realm  of  life 
is  upon  the  parents.  That  parents  fail  so  often  in  this 
respect  is  common  knowledge.  The  teacher  and  superin- 
tendent should  wherever  possible  supplement  the  parents* 
work: 

(a)  By  arranging  separate  meetings  of  fathers  and  of 
mothers,  to  1)6  addressed  "by  a  physician  or  other  wise 
worker.  The  duties  of  parents  can  be  enforced,  and  wise 
books  suggested.^  A  parents'  talk  is  usually  to  be  preferred 
to  a  book. 

Cb)  By  a  careful  letter  to  parents  of  pupils  of  the  teen 
age,  suggesting  the  right  hooks  and  the  parents'  privilege 
and  duty  of  such  service  to  the  young  people  during  the 
critical  years.  This  may  reach  parents  who  would  not  at- 
tend a  parents'  gathering. 

(c)  Through  the  teacher's  personal  help  after  conference 
with  the  parents  or,  at  times,  upon  the  teacher's  own  initia- 
tive where  it  seems  wise. 

(d)  By  separate  gatherings  of  the  young  men  and  of  the 
young  women  from  sixteen  up  for  a  sane,  frank  talk  hy  a 
Christian  physician. 

(4)  The  pupil  entering  business. — Just  here  is  fre- 
quently the  point  of  cleavage  between  the  pupil  and  his 
Sunday-school  life.     He  may  think  himself  entitled  to  Sun- 


1  Such  as  From  Youth  to  Manhood,  Hall;  Confidential  Talks  With  Young 
Men,  Sperry.  A  series  published  by  the  Society  of  Sanitary  and  Moral 
Prophylaxis  is  ■commended  to  the  careful  consideration  of  pastors,  superin- 
tendents, and  teachers — namely,  The  Young  Man's  Problem;  Education  in 
the  Physiology  and  Hygiene  of  Sex  for  Teachers;  The  Relation  of  Social 
Diseases  With  Marriage;  The  Boy  Problem;  How  My  Uncle,  the  Doctor, 
Instructed  Me  in  Matters  of  Sex;  Health  and  the  Hygiene  of  Sex  for 
College  Students.  These  pamphlets  may  be  procured  through  The  Methodist 
Book  Concern. 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       211 

days  for  recreation  and  sometimes  he  is  encouraged  in  this 
view  by  his  parents.  If  the  school  interest  is  lax,  he  is 
often  lost  to  membership.  An  employment  department  in 
connection  with  the  school  can  perform  a  large  service  in 
this  respect.  Business  houses  will  be  glad  to  be  put  in 
touch  with  the  right  young  people.  In  the  writer's  school 
about  three  hundred  positions  annually  are  obtained  for  its 
young  people  and  parents  with  but  slight  cost  to  the  school, 
and  the  young  people  thus  linked  in  grateful  interest  with 
the  school.  All  that  is  needed  is  an  employment  superin- 
tendent or  committee  as  a  part  of  the  social-service  pro- 
gram of  the  school,  and  circular  letters  or  personal  calls  on 
employers  of  labor  asking  for  cooperation.  The  pupil  fills 
out  an  application  form  and  is  notified  where  to  go. 

(5)  The  unruly  pupil. — Let  the  superintendent  invite 
him  to  his  home  alone  or  with  a  few  others  who  may  be, 
like  him,  leaders  of  groups  or  gangs  of  boys.  Something 
good  to  eat,  a  talk  about  great  leaders  of  the  world,  and  an 
invitation  to  cooperate  in  some  definite,  responsible  service 
will  ordinarily  win  him  over  to  your  side.  The  teacher,  too, 
should  utilize  his  activity  in  definite  work.  Lend  the  boy 
the  right  book  or  magazine,  find  out  the  things  in  which  he 
is  interested,  and  appeal  to  those  interests.  Sometimes  get 
him  a  job.  One  such  boy  told  the  other  boys  that  they 
would  all  have  to  behave,  as  the  superintendent  got  him  a 
job,  and  he  must  not  go  back  on  him. 

Judge  Lindsey  said,  "I  believe  that  for  every  so-called 
bad  boy  in  this  world  there  is  some  person  who  can  save 
him."  The  superintendent  or  teacher  is  frequently  the  only 
influence  rightly  to  guide  his  life.  His  presumed  badness 
is  usually  misdirected  energy.  It  is  up  to  the  school  to 
keep  that  energy  employed  in  right  channels.  It  should 
never  be  difficult  to  get  a  boy's  heart  if  you  hold  the  key 
of  love  and  sympathy. 

(6)  How  to  Jiold  the  boys. — Give  them,  wherever  possi- 
ble, men  teachers.  Lay  this  burden  upon  your  men's  classes. 
Keep  promises  to  them  when  made.     Set  manly  standards 


212  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

in  v/ord  and  life.  Promote  a  teachers'  club  of  the  boys' 
teachers  to  study  the  best  books.^  Pay  attention  to  the  boy 
when  sick.  If  you  can,  imagine  yourself  back  at  fourteen. 
Give  one  evening  a  week  to  a  group  of  boys  at  your  own 
home.  Get  in  to  see  the  boys'  parents,  if  you  can,  for  a 
friendly  call.  Get  the  father  to  join  a  men's  class  as  the 
best  method  of  holding  his  boy  to  the  school.  Make  up  for 
teachers  of  boys'  classes  lists  of  places  of  interest  in  your 
community  for  boys  to  visit  with  their  teachers.  Get  a  men's 
class  to  plan  an  outfit  for  the  boys'  evening  and  a  regular 
room.  Give  the  boy  something  hard  to  do  for  the  school 
and  the  church.  Get  the  men  to  open  their  homes  to  him. 
Let  him  know  there  is  something  ahead  of  him  in  the  school 
plans  and  life.  Individualize  the  boy  in  his  difficulties  and 
tastes  and  meet  them.  Know  what  he  does  with  his  eve- 
nings and  what  his  home  life  is  like.  Build  him  into  the 
social  and  recreational  life  of  the  school  on  lines  suggested 
in  Chapter  XV.  Build  the  men  around  him  as  friends, 
not  as  policemen.  Bring  him  to  feel  the  dignity  of  Bible 
study  and  the  nobility  of  Christian  living  and  service. 

(7)  Methods  of  using  vupils. — Utilize  them  in  making 
posters,  designing  pins  or  badges,  cutting  pictures  from 
magazines  and  making  them  up  in  books  for  the  sick  and 
shut-ins,  repairing  old  toys  for  Christmas,  and  sewing  for 
the  needy.  Have  them  occasionally  prepare  a  paper  on 
some  Bible,  Sunday-school,  civic,  or  welfare  topic.  In  one- 
or  two-minute  statements  let  the  classes,  through  the 
teacher  or  a  member,  report  the  class  work  done.  Through 
the  King's  Messenger  Corps  give  the  pupils  definite  work. 
Use  them  as  pages  and  helpers  before  and  during  the  ses- 
sion. 

(8)  When  the  pupil  leaves. — Notice  his  going  by  an- 
nouncement, a  prayer,  and  Godspeed.     Provide  him  with 


iSueh  as  Winning  the  Boy,  MerriU  (Fleming  H.  Re  veil  Company); 
The  Boy  and  the  Church,  Foster  (Sunday  School  Times  Company)  ;  Starting 
to  Teach,  Foster  (International  Y.  M.  C.  A.)  ;  The  Boy  Problem,  Forbush 
(Pilgrim  Press)  ;   Boyvillc,   Gunckel. 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       213 

a  transfer  to  another  school.     "Write  the  superintendent  of 
the  school  to  which  he  is  going  to  look  him  up. 

(9)  When  the  pupil  is  sick. — This  is  the  school's  golden 
opportunity  to  win  home  and  pupil.  Adequate  attention 
here,  through  superintendent,  teacher,  or  visiting  commit- 
tee, will  be  repaid  in  loyal  and  long  interest  in  the  school. 

(10)  When  a  pupil  dies. — See  that  the  school  committee 
sends  flowers  in  the  name  of  the  school,  call  or  write  a  per- 
sonal word  of  sympathy  to  parents,  remember  the  family 
in  prayer  in  the  following  Sunday's  session,  and  inscribe 
the  name  and  date  of  death  on  an  "in  memoriam"  list,  to 
be  kept  on  the  school  wall. 

2.  Securing  home  study.  Mr.  Beecher  once  said:  "The 
ordinary  superintendent  strikes  the  bell,  gives  out  a  hymn, 
makes  the  opening  prayer,  and  then  walks  around  and 
looks  important  until  time  to  do  the  same  things  again  and 
close  the  school.  The  extraordinary  superintendent  makes 
it  his  business  to  see  that  the  teachers  and  children  all 
learn  something  worth  while  out  of  the  Word  of  God." 
Probably  no  more  practical  service  could  be  done  by  the 
superintendent  than  to  promote  the  pupil's  home  study 
of  the  lesson.  This  is  a  confessedly  weak  point  in  the  aver- 
age school. 

With  the  average  pupil  we  cannot  expect  home  study 
unless  it  is  suggested  and  indicated. 

(1)  Weekly  lesson  study  questions. — Many  schools  dis- 
tribute each  week  home-study  question  slips,  with,  say,  ten 
printed  questions  on  the  lesson  for  the  following  Sunday, 
due  credit  being  given  for  the  school  honors.  Or  these  slips 
may  give  the  location  of  the  lesson  with  the  following  ques- 
tion words:  When?  Where?  Who?  What?  What  then? 
These  questions  are  to  be  answered  in  writing.  They  are 
in  some  cases  printed  in  the  church  calendar  of  the  previous 
Sunday.  The  school  may  grade  its  questions  with,  say,  five 
or  six  questions  each  for  the  departments  above  the  pri- 
mary, suggesting  Bible  references.  A  brief  prayer  may  be 
printed  to  broaden  the  pupil's  prayer  life. 


214  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

(2)  The  teacJier's  plans. —  (a)  The  teacher  may  give  to 
each  pupil  a  written  question  covering  some  point  in  the 
lesson  for  the  following  Sunday  concerning  a  city  or  per- 
son or  event,  giving  the  reference  and  numbering  the  ques- 
tion so  that  it  will  surely  be  asked  for  on  the  Sunday;  or 
during  the  week  a  postal  card  or  a  letter,  with  a  suggestion 
indicating  some  book  in  which  information  may  be  found, 
may  be  sent  the  pupil.  A  remembrance  may  be  given  to 
the  pupil  or  pupils  who  do  the  best  work  on  these  home- 
study-slip  questions, 

(&)  An  excellent  plan  is  to  give  to  each  pupil  a  definite 
part  in  the  lesson  to  prepare,  such  as  connecting  events, 
time  and  place,  persons,  events,  teachings,  and  a  few  good 
Scripture  references.  These  parts  may  be  shifted  weekly, 
so  that  the  pupil  would  get  acquainted  with  the  full  plan 
of  lesson  study. 

(e)  A  week-night  meeting  of  teacher  and  class,  in  which 
in  addition  to  the  games  and  a  little  social  time,  the  lesson 
of  the  following  Sunday  is  taken  up  from  some  angle  of 
unusual  interest,  is  helpful. 

(d)  Teacher  or  superintendent  may  suggest  on  Sunday 
some  good  book  or  books  in  the  school  or  public  library, 
fiction  or  otherwise,  which  will  give  some  light  on  the 
lesson. 

(e)  The  superintendent  may  ask  classes  in  turn  to  be 
responsible  for  a  brief  statement  of  the  connecting  link 
between  lessons,  the  statement  to  be  made  before  the  time 
of  the  lesson  reading  by  the  school. 

(/)  Teacher  or  superintendent  may  indicate  to  the  pupil 
by  word  or  card  the  Bible  books  in  which  the  lessons  will 
be  located  for  the  quarter  and  urge  the  home  reading  of 
these  books,  the  pupil  to  give  the  outstanding  persons  and 
places  of  these  books  when  called  for. 

(3)  Home  daily  Bihle  readings. — These  may  be  encour- 
aged through  distributing  to  all  the  pupils  using  the  uni- 
form or  other  lessons  the  list  of  daily  readings  for  the  year. 
This  should  be  in  convenient  form  to  slip  into  a  Bible.    In 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       215 

connection  with  this  list  a  blank  may  be  given  to  each 
pupil,  with  space  for  each  day  of  the  quarter,  for  the  pupil's 
daily  marking  and  report  of  his  Bible  reading.  In  the 
Ridgeway  School  at  Coatesville,  Pennsylvania,  weekly  slips 
of  home  readings  were  given  out,  and  a  reward  given  at 
the  end  of  the  year  to  all  who,  in  their  homes,  had  read 
aloud  the  daily  reading  in  the  hearing  of  the  family,  the 
Lord's  Prayer  following.  Family  worship  was  thus  started 
in  many  homes. 

3.  The  absentee.  Retention  is  as  important  as  exten- 
sion. Indeed,  it  is  a  vital  part  of  extension.  Large  schools 
could  be  built  out  of  the  needless  waste  of  some  schools. 
Failure  to  visit  or  make  immediate  inquiry  is  largely  the 
reason  for  irregularity  and  loss  of  the  pupil. 

The  superintendent  should  seek  to  find  the  reason  for 
absence  and,  if  possible,  remedy  the  difiiculty.  A  chief 
cause  of  absence  is  a  misassignment  to  a  class.  The  at- 
mosphere and  attitude  of  the  class  and  the  lack  of  warmth 
and  magnetism  of  the  teacher  are  oth«r  important  reasons 
for  absence.  No  pupil's  name  should  be  canceled  from  the 
records  without  a  reason  to  be  approved  in  writing  by  the 
department  and  school  superintendent.  "Left"  written  by 
a  teacher  opposite  a  pupil's  name  may  cover  a  crime 
against  the  pupil.  Cancellations  of  this  sort  have  occurred 
in  scores  of  cases  where  the  pupil  has  been  sick  or  absent 
for  good  reason,  and  the  teacher  has  made  absolutely  no 
effort  to  discover  the  reason.  There  is  no  better  use  of 
time  for  the  superintendent  than  to  sit  down  for  an  hour 
with  the  class  books  and  note  the  absences.  Such  leaks  in 
business,  unremedied,  would  spell  ruin.  What  is  the 
remedy? 

In  many  schools  teachers  are  supplied  with  absentee  slips, 
on  which  to  report  to  the  superintendent  or  secretary  each 
Sunday  the  names  of  absent  pupils,  with  a  cross  opposite 
those  pupils  whom  the  teacher  will  visit  and  report  on. 
The  other  names,  if  any,  are  referred  to  the  proper  com- 
mittee   for   their   visitation    during   the    week.      In    other 


216  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

cases  the  teacher's  attention  is  called  to  the  absentee's  case 
by  a  card  from  the  superintendent  showing  the  number  of 
Sundays  absent  and  requesting  a  report  by  the  following 
Sunday.  If  a  visit  is  impracticable,  the  teacher  should 
report  back  at  once  for  attention  by  the  visiting  committee 
or  upon  absentee  forms  taken  by  the  King's  Messenger 
Service  to  the  home  of  the  pupil.  In  some  places  the  visita- 
tion committee  is  called  the  "Scotchers  Band,"  composed 
sometimes  of  teachers  and  sometimes  of  pupils.  C.  D.  Meigs 
called  this  the  "go  out"  committee  rather  than  the  "look- 
out." 

The  teacher's  personal  visit  is  by  far  the  most  effective 
method  to  employ.  A  busy  Buffalo  teacher,  with  more  than 
four  hundred  young  men  in  his  class,  makes  it  a  rule  to 
make  twenty-five  weekly  calls  on  his  class  members.  The 
teacher's  letter  or  a  visit  from  the  class  committee  is  the 
next  thing  to  a  call.  A  diligent  visitation  committee  may 
render  efficient  service.  One  school  has  an  "attendance 
manager,"  who  plotted  the  entire  district,  located  the  pupils 
on  it  by  numbers,  and,  when  a  pupil  was  absent,  asked  the 
boy  or  girl  nearest  to  call  on  the  absentee. 

The  pursuit  of  long-time  absent  pupils  will  often  reveal 
that  the  drop-out  occurred  through  the  teacher's  negligence 
or  irregularity.  They  appeared  not  to  be  missed,  the  gap 
grew  wider,  and  other  interests  intervened  to  prevent  their 
return.  Their  reentry  and  assignment  to  another  class  will 
often  be  easy  to  accomplish,  especially  if  the  teacher  or  a 
pupil  of  the  prospective  class  calls  upon  them. 

The  superintendent's  letter,  mailed  or  taken  to  the  home 
by  the  messenger  service,  is  another  method.  The  wording 
of  this  letter  is  most  important.  A  good  letter  is  half  the 
winning.  A  tactful  follow-up  letter  may  complete  the  job. 
One  superintendent  got  from  each  of  his  department  super-^ 
intendents  a  list  of  all  persistent  absentees  and  sent  a 
personally  signed  typewritten  letter  to  each.  The  results 
were  so  good  that  a  second  letter  followed  to  nonreporting^ 
cases.     A  letter  to  the  parents  in  some  cases  is  to  be  ap- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       217 

proved.  In  one  successful  school  a  card  is  sent  to  one 
Sunday's  absentees,  requesting  information  of  sickness. 
After  a  second  Sunday  the  teacher  calls  or  writes  a  letter. 
After  the  third  Sunday  the  superintendent  or  some  other 
representative  of  the  school  calls. 

4.  Attendance  and  rewards.  How  may  the  school's 
attendance  be  encouraged?  The  strongest  lodestone  for 
regular  attendance  and  sustained  interest  through  the  years 
is  an  interesting  school  session,  a  devout,  able  teacher,  and 
loyal  class  spirit.  Rewards  and  similar  devices  will  not 
take  the  place  of  consistent,  efficient  work  on  the  part  of 
officers  and  teachers.  The  average  attendance  of  the  Sun- 
day schools  of  the  entire  country  is  about  60  per  cent. 
This  surely  may  be  improved. 

In  certain  periods  pupils  are  moved  by  the  incentive  of 
a  reward.  It  is  well  for  a  school  to  include  other  worthy 
objectives  besides  attendance  in  its  reward  system.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  a  poorly  managed  school  cannot 
hope  for  permanent  results  from  a  reward  incentive  alone. 
Better  attendance  must  be  secured  by  better  programs,  a 
toning  up  of  the  teaching  force,  and  a  firmer  grip  on  all 
sides  of  the  pupil's  life. 

The  best  results  come  from  a  reward  plan  in  which  the 
honors  are  within  the  reach  of  all,  and  not  prizes  that  can 
be  won  by  one  or  two,  and  which  usually  leave  an  after- 
math of  hurt  and  disappointment.  These  honors  should 
be  cumulative,  making  for  continuous  interest. 

It  may  be  a  good  plan  to  announce  the  number  absent 
each  Sunday.  This  may  be  a  little  shock  to  pride,  but  will 
lead  to  visiting  and  to  the  removal  of  dead  wood  after  an 
effort  at  salvage.  There  will  always  be  those  more  or  less 
necessarily  away  who  should  have  a  place  in  an  associate 
or  reserve  membership,  so  that  the  perfect  attendance  of 
the  active  enrollment  will  not  be  interfered  with. 

(1)  Some  effective  honor  plans. — Among  workable  plans 
may  be  suggested  the  following: 

The  Loyal  Sunday  ScJiool  Army  plan  provides  for  mark- 


218  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ing  in  three  respects:  (a)  attendance,  whether  punctual 
or  tardy;  (6)  lesson,  well  learned  or  partly  learned;  (c) 
offering,  amount  not  indicated. 

A  plan  in  wide  use,  originating  in  the  Marion  Lawrance 
Sunday  School  in  Toledo,  involves  the  use  of  the  Robert 
Raikes  Diploma,  with  yearly  colored  seals  and  a  yearly 
celluloid  button  to  match  the  seals. 

The  plan  at  Bushwick  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Sun- 
day School,  Brooklyn,  includes  recognition  of  attendance, 
punctuality,  daily  Bible  reading  and  daily  prayer,  offering, 
church  attendance,  home  work,  Bible  bringing,  supple- 
mental work,  and  new  members.  These  items  are  gradu- 
ated to  the  needs  of  the  different  departments. 

The  Temple  Baptist  Sunday  School  of  Los  Angeles  once  a 
year  gives  "Front  Rank  Honors"  to  all  whose  record  is  per- 
fect on  five  points:  attendance,  on  time,  with  Bible,  offering, 
and  a  studied  lesson.  A  green  arch,  outlined  with  gold  and 
ivy-covered,  was  on  the  platform.  Through  the  arch  filed 
those,  first,  whose  record  was  perfect;  then  those  who  had, 
while  absent,  attended  another  school  under  required  con- 
ditions; then  those  with  only  one  absence. 

One  school  gives  a  ribbon  badge,  with  celluloid  emblems 
in  the  form  of  a  star,  heart,  crescent,  and  Maltese  cross, 
each  of  these  emblems  standing  for  one  point  in  the  mark- 
ing system  of  the  school.  Another  school  has  a  cabin-con- 
structing campaign,  each  class  completing  its  cabin  if  its 
record  was  perfect,  one  log  standing  for  a  certain  credit. 

The  Eberhart  Roll  of  Honor  plan  involves  the  wearing  of 
ribbons  indicating  the  quarterly  or  yearly  record.  Local 
school  pins  in  bronze  or  silver  or  gold,  with  or  without  bar 
attachments  for  succeeding  years,  are  used  with  success. 

In  these  and  other  plans  it  seems  fair  to  recognize  best 
effort.  Personal  illness  or  home  illness  that  may  prevent 
attendance  should  be  allowed  for,  an  excuse  form  being 
signed  by  parent,  teacher,  and  superintendent.  In  many 
schools  the  plan  is  carried  clear  through  the  year,  at- 
tendance at  a  Sunday  school  while  away  in  the  summer  be- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       219 

ing  indicated  by  a  vacation  card  signed  at  the  school  at- 
tended. Other  recognition  plans  for  stimulating  attendance, 
and  including  such  other  features  as  may  be  determined 
upon  by  the  local  school,  are: 

The  attendance  chart  for  department  or  school.  The 
Pilgrim  Congregational  Sunday  School  of  Dorchester,  Mas- 
sachusetts, uses  an  attendance  clock,  the  two  hands  stand- 
ing for  attendance  improvement  over  previous  year,  and  for 
new-member  record. 

An  occasional  bracing  letter  or  "stand  by  the  work"  card 
from  the  superintendent  to  pupils  will  be  helpful  in  sus- 
taining attendance. 

The  use  of  a  large  thermometer  to  indicate  attendance, 
enrollment,  and  a  comparison  with  the  preceding  year. 

The  giving  of  free  tickets  to  a  school  entertainment  at 
which  educational  moving  pictures  are  shown  to  those  who 
have  had  a  perfect  attendance  and  a  perfect  on-time  record 
during  a  certain  period. 

The  recognition  of  "star"  classes,  a  star  attached  to  a 
standard  being  held  by  a  class  with  a  perfect  attendance 
record  for  a  month.  One  school  recognizes  as  "model" 
classes  those  v/hose  record  has  been  perfect  for  a  Sunday, 
and  as  "record"  classes  those  which  keep  a  perfect  record 
for  three  months. 

The  holding  of  a  banner  for  a  month  by  class  or  classes 
reaching  the  required  standard. 

Little's  Cross  and  Crown  system. 

Star  pins  in  silver  and  gold  according  to  length  of  record, 
a  wall  chart  indicating  star  classes  for  each  Sunday. 

An  annual  reception  to  banner  or  star  classes. 

The  presentation  of  on-time  buttons  for  prompt  attend- 
ance during  a  certain  period  to  those  who  have  joined  the 
"on-timers'  club"  and  have  made  good,  their  attendance 
having  been  punched  on  on-time  cards.  One  school  gave 
Testaments  to  those  on  time  for  a  period. 

In  encouraging  the  pupil's  attendance  at  church  as 
one    point    in    the    marking    system    organize    a    church- 


220  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

worship  league  for  juniors  and  for  seniors  or  a  go-to- 
church  band. 

Many  clever  plans  are  published  by  Sunday-school  supply 
houses  to  promote  perfect  and  punctual  attendance,  new 
membership,  etc.,  such  as  around-the-world  and  Holy  Land 
tours,  automobile  or  airplane  contests.  These  plans  are 
aided  by  stereopticon  views  of  places  visited,  stories  of 
missionary  work,  and  national  customs  and  conditions  of 
life. 

An  "honor  banquet"  was  given  by  a  school  to  the  honor 
classes,  which  for  six  months  had  had  a  perfect  record  of 
attendance,  with  accepted  excuses  for  absentees.  Other 
classes  were  invited  to  the  banquet  but  had  to  pay.  To 
the  honor  pupils  were  given  buttonhole  bouquets.  There 
was  speaking  by  the  class  officers  and  others,  and  good 
music. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  of  Burn- 
side,  Connecticut,  keeps  a  permanent  record  of  pupils  with 
perfect  records,  and  from  time  to  time  these  are  announced 
to  stimulate  and  encourage  others. 

The  report  to  parents  of  the  pupil's  attendance  and  honor 
marks  has  been  found  a  real  help  in  inducing  attendance 
and  good  work. 

The  Central  Methodist  Sunday  School  of  Portsmouth, 
Virginia,  has  worked  out  a  satisfactory  self-marking,  quar- 
terly record  card,  covering  six  general  points  of  lesson 
study,  punctuality,  attendance,  Bibles,  offering,  and  church 
attendance,  and  four  items  on  personal  work,  covering 
visits  of  service,  bringing  a  new  pupil,  bringing  a  visitor, 
and  leading  someone  to  attend  church.  These  cards  are 
returned  to  the  secretary  each  Sunday  in  the  class  envelope 
for  the  pupils'  marking. 

An  ingenious  plan  is  to  recognize  every  class  having  a 
three  weeks'  perfect  record  in  the  school's  requirements  as 
pages;  those  with  six  Sundays'  perfect  record  as  squires; 
and  for  nine  Sundays,  knights.  The  classes  known  as  pages 
are  posted  and  designated  with  a  blue-paper  chevron;   the 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  PUPIL       221 

squires  have  added  to  the  chevron  a  cross  of  gold  paper; 
and  the  knights  add  to  both  a  paper  crown  of  gold. 

A  very  attractive  plan  to  build  up  Sunday-school  attend- 
ance, punctuality,  offerings,  Bible  bringing,  and  home  study 
is  an  Airship  Flight  Contest  (Goodenough  &  Woglom  Com- 
pany, 14  Vesey  Street,  New  York  City),  which  takes  the 
school  on  a  visitation  to  fourteen  great  cities  of  the  world. 
Each  class  has  an  airship  marked  with  the  name  of  some 
Christian  world  leader,  a  preacher  or  statesman.  It  com- 
bines educational  features  of  high  value  with  the  other  ob- 
jectives. 

There  are  other  methods  to  inspire  attendance,  such  as 
the  use  of  printer's  ink,  setting  out  in  attractive  form  a 
monthly  program  and  a  few  ringing  school  ideals. 

Bibliography 

The  Girl  in  Her  Teens,  Slattery. 

The  Boy  and  the  Sunday  School,  Alexander. 

Vocations  Within  the  Church,  Crawford. 

Topic  for  Special  Study 

Reward  systems. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  How  can  the  school  make  effective  its  first  impressions 
upon  the  pupils? 

2.  How  may  the  school  recognize  pleasantli^  the  pupil's 
birthday? 

3.  Has  the  Sunday  school  a  duty  to  the  pupil's  sex  life? 

4.  Suggest  one  way  in  which  the  school  can  get  a  grip 
on  the  pupil  entering  business. 

5.  State  a  few  methods  of  holding  the  boys. 

6.  What  methods  are  helpful  in  recovering  the  absentee? 

7.  State  a  few  good  honor  plans. 

8.  What  other  methods  promote  good  attendance? 


CHAPTER  XV 
RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS 

1.  Recreation.  If  we  accept  the  principle  that  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Sunday  school  is  to  the  whole  life,  which  God  has 
made,  to  the  body  and  mind  as  well  as  to  the  soul,  for  the 
week-day  life  as  well  as  for  Sunday,  then  the  duty  and 
privilege  of  the  Sunday  school  are  clear.  (1)  Young  people 
will  have  social  enjoyment.  Let  the  conditions  under  which 
they  shall  express  their  God-given  nature  be  the  best.  (2) 
In  developing  the  physical,  through  the  gymnasium  and 
athletics  and  camp  life,  we  are  training  young  people  in 
lessons  of  sacrifice,  fairness,  self-control,  and  manliness, 
and  we  are  getting  a  large  grip  on  them  for  the  Sunday 
school  and  the  church.  (3)  The  opportunity  of  contact 
with  young  people  through  the  channel  of  these  things  is 
the  superintendent's  and  teachers'  best  chance  for  real 
acquaintance,  and  it  should  eventuate  in  winning  them  to 
Christ.    That  is,  in  fact,  the  normal  result. 

The  general  responsibility  for  planning  constantly  for 
this  work  should  be  in  the  hands  of  a  wise  recreation  or 
social  committee,  which  could  subdivide,  if  necessary,  to 
care  for  the  several  departments  of  the  work.  A  recreation 
bulletin  board  is  essential  for  detailed  announcements.  The 
size  of  the  school  and  physical  conditions  of  the  building 
will  of  course  govern  certain  features,  but  with  the  ad- 
junct of  open  homes  much  is  possible. 

In  Chapter  IV  reference  was  made  to  the  need  of  ade- 
quate equipment  for  the  recreational  life.  In  the  last  fif- 
teen years  great  strides  have  been  made  in  providing  this 
equipment  in  old  and  new  construction.  Schools  such  as 
those  at  Cedar  Rapids  and  at  Vinton,  Iowa,  have  made  their 
buildings  centers  of  social  and  community  interest,  with 

222 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  223 

game  rooms,  social  rooms,  girls'  sewing  rooms,  kitchens  or 
kitchenettes,  and  gymnasiums.  The  furniture  and  trim- 
mings have  been  designed  to  promote  a  "homely  atmos- 
phere." The  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Los 
Angeles  has  a  large  social  hall,  with  partitions  for  smaller 
groups,  two  kitchens,  a  banquet  hall  seating  a  thousand, 
three  motion-picture  machines  for  different  rooms,  and  ten- 
nis and  handball  courts. 

(1)  T?ie  Simday-scliool  picnic. — This  is  an  annual  feature 
with  many  schools  and  needs  no  special  emphasis.  The  re- 
sponsibility involved  in  the  transportation  and  care  of  a 
large  body  of  young  people  has  made  many  superintendents 
incline  to  the  plan  of  department  outings,  which  reduces 
the  problem  of  management  and  brings  the  department 
superintendent  and  teachers  into  special  contact  with  their 
own  pupils.  It  is  important  to  have  good  committees,  a 
good  athletic  leader,  and  a  good  story-teller  and  game  leader 
for  younger  children,  as  well  as  a  good  photographer. 

Some  interesting  diversions  may  be  suggested:  an  egg- 
hunting  contest,  wooden  eggs  being  hidden  over  the 
grounds;  other  contests,  such  as  nail-drawing,  stake-draw- 
ing, filling  bottles  by  spoonfuls,  wood-sawing,  doughnut-  and 
pie-eating,  and  box-making  (each  contestant  is  "supplied 
with  six  pieces  of  wood,  tackhammer,  and  nails).  Races  are 
always  popular.  Suggested  forms  are  potato,  flag  (same 
plan  as  potato),  egg  and  spoon,  sack,  three-legged,  wheel- 
barrow, hoop,  peanut,  clothes  hanging,  ball  throwing,  fas- 
tening clothespins  (for  women),  rope  climb,  peanut  hunt, 
flag  hunt,  and  bobbing  for  apples.  Barrel  contests  are  in- 
teresting. Three  barrels  are  placed  equally  distant,  and  a 
boy  stands  in  each  barrel  with  a  long  pole,  with  which  he 
seeks  to  overturn  the  other  barrels. 

Other  games  may  include:  (a)  A  numJyer  game. — A 
group  of  persons  are  numbered  1,  2,  3,  4  (on  the  back)  and 
are  roped  in  a  square  and  blindfolded,  each  number  in  its 
corner.  Upon  signal  they  seek  to  find  their  preceding  or 
succeeding  numbers  and  then  line  up.     (&)  A  candle  race — 


224  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

carrying  lighted  candles  to  certain  points  in  the  shortest 
time. 

Among  athletic  contests  may  be  named  the  tug-of-war, 
hop-step-and-jump,  shot-put,  fifty-  and  one-hundred-yard 
dash,  stone-put,  and  standing  broad  jump.  Bean  bags, 
quoits,  and  baseball  are  always  in  order. 

A  patriotic  picnic  may  include  colors  in  profusion  and 
tableaus  of  Hudson,  the  Spirit  of  76,  the  Spirit  of  1918, 
flag  drills,  Columbia,  and  the  national  anthem.  Patriotic 
songs,  with  appropriate  addresses,  may  be  given  in  the 
evening. 

Rewards  may  be  given  to  those  who  will  reach  the 
grounds  in  the  most  unique  way  and  advertise  to  the  most 
people  on  the  way  the  fact  of  the  Sunday-school  picnic; 
also  to  those  who  make  the  best  picnic  suggestions  for  the 
coming  year. 

The  departmental  plan  carries  the  graded  principle  into 
sports  and  recreations,  and  the  best  schools  are  providing 
for  this  plan  in  the  games,  contests,  songs,  and  addresses. 
Upon  arrival  at  the  grounds  departmental  standards  are 
erected,  pupils  finding  their  standards.  For  the  "eats"  the 
children  may  lunch  with  their  teachers  or,  if  with  families, 
may  find  their  departmental  standards  afterward. 

All  picnics  should  provide  for  a  general  song  service  at 
twilight  or  before  and  for  a  brief  devotional  word  and 
prayer. 

Indoor  picnics  have  their  interest.  One  school  provided 
for  a  basket  lunch  with  a  long  picnic  table,  indoor  croquet, 
patches  of  green  on  the  floor,  with  "Keep  Off  the  Grass";  a 
fish  pond  with  the  sign  "No  Fishing";  booths  for  pop  corn 
and  drinkables,  stereopticon  views  of  outdoor  life,  and  an 
imitation  of  thunderstorm,  with  two  members  appearing 
in  raincoats  with  water  running  from  them.  Another  school 
planned  a  summer  ice  festival,  including  an  Eskimo  hut 
and  family,  a  toboggan  slide,  boys  in  form  of  bears,  roller 
skating,  a  snowball  battle,  stereopticon  views  of  northern 
life,  stories  of  Peary,  Greely,  Shackleton,  and  Steffanson; 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  225 

and  as  refreshments  ice  cream,  sherbet,  frozen  pudding,  or 
lemonade. 

(2)  Other  outings. — The  Fourth  of  July  outing  has 
special  possibilities  in  its  emphasis  of  the  national  colors 
in  decorations,  badges,  and  flags.  A  barbecue  or  corn 
roast  may  be  an  attractive  feature  in  conjunction  with  the 
luncheon.  Watermelons  may  be  stuck  with  toothpicks  hav- 
ing red-white-and-blue  tissue  tassels.  Suggested  program 
points  are  athletic  events,  balloon  ascensions,  the  reading 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  oratorical  contests 
among  the  boys,  the  singing  of  national  songs,  and  fire- 
works. 

A  camp-fire  outing,  with  picnic  supper  and  games,  is  en- 
joyable. One  or  more  fires  are  lighted,  and  stirring  stories 
told  (sometimes  by  one  person  or  by  several  who  have  been 
previously  notified)  of  heroes  and  great  leaders.  Songs 
are  sung  between  the  stories.  A  rousing  general  song  by  all 
will  be  the  signal  for  the  break-up. 

In  town  department  or  school  lawn  outings  can  be  made 
attractive  with  games,  lanterns,  swings,  hammocks,  and 
chairs,  and  refreshments.  The  young  men  and  seniors  may 
drop  in  toward  evening  and  give  a  fine  social  cast  to  the 
affair.  For  the  children  a  lawn  patriotic  bubble  party,  with 
contests,  has  many  possibilities.  The  soapsuds  may  be 
tinted  in  national  colors. 

A  Syrian  day  is  suggested  for  a  lawn  or  other  outing, 
waiters  and  groups  being  dressed  in  Syrian  costume  and 
occupying  rugs  and  tents.  Signs  indicating  "Jacob's  Well," 
"Cedar  of  Lebanon,"  "Abraham's  Oak"  add  to  the  pic- 
turesque result. 

May  parties,  autumn-leaf  parties,  and  daisy  parties  (after 
which  the  daisies  are  sent  to  some  institution),  nature  and 
other  hikes  (with  rewards  to  those  finding  the  largest 
collection  of  wild  fiowers,  ferns,  or  minerals),  are  among 
the  interesting  outdoor  gatherings  for  school  or  class. 

(3)  Indoor  athletics. — The  organization  of  Sunday-school 
athletic  leagues  in  the  leading  cities  of  our  country  for 


226  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

baseball,  basketball,  tennis,  and  general  athletic  contests 
and  competition  between  Sunday  schools  has  demonstrated 
the  interest  and  success  of  Sunday-school  athletics.  Saint 
Louis,  Brooklyn,  Chicago,  Rock  Island,  Seattle,  and  other 
cities  have  thriving  leagues.  These  promote  better  Sunday- 
school  attendance  and  spirit.  In  some  cases  schools  are 
suflaciently  close  to  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  gymnasium  apparatus.  In  most  cases  they 
are  not. 

(a)  Gymnasiuvi. — If  a  separate  room  is  not  available, 
a  part  of  the  Sunday-school  room  may  be  used  as  a  gym- 
nasium between  Sundays.  The  outfit  may  be  purchased 
gradually  and  may  include  a  mat,  springboard,  horse,  vault- 
ing standards,  baskets  for  basketball,  punching  bag,  rings, 
dumbbells,  Indian  clubs,  wands,  horizontal  bar,  chest 
weights,  and  swing.  A  shower  bath  should  be  installed  if 
possible.  The  gymnasium  should  be  organized  for  boys 
under  twelve  to  meet  in  the  afternoons,  those  over  that  age 
to  meet  in  the  evenings.  The  young  women  of  the  school, 
especially  those  in  business,  should  be  given  an  evening, 
The  fees  should  be  light.  Instruction  books  can  be  pro- 
cured. Instruction  of  the  younger  boys  may  be  given  by 
those  older.  An  occasional  exhibition  drill  will  be  an  ob- 
jective for  effort.  Regular  attendance  at  the  Sunday  school 
should  be  a  requirement  for  membership  in  the  gymnasium 
and  other  athletic  privileges.  It  is  of  first  importance  that 
the  committee  of  older  men  and  women  exercise  careful 
supervision  of  the  gymnasium,  organizing  monitors  from 
among  the  gymnasium-class  members. 

The  physical  director  should  be  especially  skillful  in  de- 
termining and  correcting  the  physical  deficiency  of  the  class. 
This  requires  a  very  careful  physical  examination  and  the 
right  adjustment  of  exercises. 

(6)  Boys'  room. — Any  general  outfit  should  include 
games,  boys'  books,  boys'  papers;  magazines,  such  as 
Youth's  Companion,  Scientific  American,  American  Boy, 
Science    and    Invention,    Popular    Mechanics;    and    some 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  227 

electrical  and  radio  apparatus,  lantern,  and  slides. 
Where  facilities  permit,  material  for  wood-carving,  pulp- 
molding,  and  basket-weaving  will  be  found  helpful.  De- 
bates will  interest  the  boys.  An  occasional  social  evening, 
with  a  program,  should  be  planned  for.  Groups  may  be 
formed  into  a  tramp  club,  history  club,  puzzle  club,  chess 
or  checker  club,  museum  club,  natural-history  club,  travel 
club,  or  clubs  for  outdoor  athletics.  Boys  may  discuss 
or  present  papers  on  prominent  inventors,  generals,  dis- 
coverers, and  philanthropists.  The  boys'  International 
Sunshine  Club  has  three  objectives:  (1)  The  cultivation 
of  manliness,  good  cheer,  and  kindly  deeds;  (2)  the  pay- 
ment of  the  weekly  dues  (a  kind  deed  passed  on) ;  (3)  a 
good  time  for  oneself  and  others.  A  boys'  Bible-study  club 
may  take  up  Bible  heroes,  geography  (including  names  of 
mountains,  rivers,  seas,  and  cities) ;  Bible  flowers,  animals, 
and  trees.  The  collection  of  Bible  coins  and  curiosities 
will  be  helpful.  Bible-flower  seeds  can  be  obtained  at  Sun- 
day-school supply  houses. 

(4)  Outdoor  athletics. — These  may  take  the  form  of  base- 
ball, handball,  tennis,  track  athletics,  walking  clubs  for 
girls,  and  also  girls'  "belle  cycle,"  invented  by  the  physical 
director  of  Wellesley  College  and  uniting  the  best  features 
of  archery  and  basketball. 

The  proper  school  committee  should  have,  supervision 
of  it  all,  and  a  director  of  athletics  should  be  in  immediate 
charge.  The  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  will  be  glad  to  give  any  help 
possible  in  organization.  A  Sunday-school  field  should,  if 
possible,  be  secured  somewhere,  possibly  in  conjunction 
with  some  other  school.  Teams  may  be  arranged  after  the 
usual  try-outs,  to  represent  the  school.  Well-established 
rules  should  be  adopted.  Books  of  rules  and  suggestions 
may  readily  be  obtained. 

Contests  of  various  kinds  may  be  arranged  with  other 
Sunday  schools,  and  medals  presented  by  prominent  men. 
An  occasional  talk  on  fair  play  in  sport,  on  great  athletes 
who  have  been  Christian  men  and  who  are  to-day  leaders 


228  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

in  the  world's  betterment,  will  be  appreciated.  The  ideal 
of  a  virile  Christian  manhood  appeals  to  young  people. 

(5)  Summer  camps. — In  brief  camping  days  a  teacher 
can  travel  years  into  a  boy's  life  and  heart.  The  plan  is 
growing  in  popularity.  In  brief  it  requires  a  tent  or  bun- 
galow or  an  old  farmhouse  near  the  water.  The  duties  as 
to  the  fire,  table,  and  cooking  are  apportioned  to  squads. 
Camp  awards  for  best  work  have  sometimes  been  given. 
Discipline  characterizes  such  a  camp,  the  day  being  sched- 
uled for  sports,  life-saving  drills,  exercise,  nature  study, 
work,  worship,  reading,  and  games.  A  discussion  club  pro- 
vides topics.  The  Bible  topics  touch  the  outdoor  life.  Story- 
telling, camp  yells,  singing,  camp  fires,  concerts,  stereop- 
ticon  travel  talks,  and  mock  trials  are  some  of  the  diver- 
sions. The  summer  home  of  the  Sunday  school  for  the 
poorer  children  of  the  school  and  community  will  have 
some  of  the  features  of  the  camp  life  for  its  interest. 

In  the  Pine  Street  Presbyterian  Sunday  School  of  Har- 
risburg,  Pennsylvania,  there  is  a  "Boys  Camp,"  which 
cares  for  the  pupils  in  age  relays  of  about  two  weeks,  and 
including  younger  girls,  younger  boys,  older  boys,  older 
girls,  men,  and  married  folks.  These  are  in  charge  of  de- 
partment leaders,  the  rates  are  reasonable,  and  week-end 
parties  are  provided  for.  This  motto,  from  Stevenson,  has 
been  adopted:  "Give  us  to  awake  with  smiles.  Give  us  to 
labor  smiling;  as  the  sun  lightens  the  world,  so  may  loving- 
kindness  make  glad  this  house." 

The  Bushwick  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday 
School  of  Brooklyn  has  for  many  years  maintained  a  summer 
camp,  or  home,  with  the  help  of  the  Christmas  offerings  of 
its  departments.  Poor  children  are  maintained  free,  while 
the  young  people  pay  the  actual  cost. 

Camp  sites  should  be  selected  with  reference  to  water, 
drainage,  swimming,  and  hike  possibilities.  A  complete 
list  of  general  and  personal  outfit  required  for  boys'  and 
girls'  camps  can  be  obtained  from  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Boy  Scouts, 
and  Camp  Fire  Girls  organizations. 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  229 

(6)  Entertainments. — These  should  be  arranged  by  the 
committee  for  the  season,  possibly  a  month  apart,  and  the 
course  printed,  and  copies  distributed  to  the  school.  The 
purpose  should  be  to  interest  and  inform,  and  not  to  make 
money.  An  offering  or  a  small  charge  should  cover  the 
expenses. 

The  entertainments  may  take  the  form  of  lectures,  mo- 
tion pictures,  a  musical  evening,  projectoscope  pictures, 
readings,  experiments,  tableaux,  shadowgraphs,  and  Boy 
and  Girl  Scout  and  other  drills.  A  good  plan  will  be  to 
make  classes  in  turn  responsible  for  an  evening's  enter- 
tainment in  competition.  If  a  class  has  some  months  to 
work  it  up,  unique  and  interesting  results  will  appear.  A 
school  should  own  its  own  stereopticon  and  motion-picture 
machine.  Travel  lectures,  slides,  and  films  on  a  wide  va- 
riety of  subjects  can  be  rented  from  houses  making  this  a 
business. 

In  Chapter  X  there  are  indicated  houses  from  which 
stereopticon  views  can  be  obtained.  The  Motion  Picture 
Department  of  The  Church  School  will  furnish  a  list  of 
recommended  films  and  film  exchanges,  from  which  a  wide 
variety  of  films  adapted  to  church  and  Sunday-school  use 
may  be  obtained.  In  the  last  few  years  the  circulation  of 
lists  of  films  has  been  promoted  by  denominational  mission- 
ary and  Sunday-school  headquarters.     Write  for  lists. 

A  "Harvest  Home"  entertainment  will  be  interesting. 
Readings  such  as  The  Birds'  Christmas  Carol  and  The 
Christmas  Carol  are  fascinating  when  well  rendered. 

(7)  Social  plans. —  (a)  Workers' socials. — These  may  take 
the  form  of  an  informal  monthly  supper,  where  teachers 
and  officers  come  together,  each  paying  for  his  meal,  the 
supper  to  be  succeeded  by  school  business  and  other  items 
as  suggested  in  Chapter  XIII.  Or  it  may  be  a  quarterly, 
semiannual,  or  annual  grouping  of  department  workers  or 
of  all  the  school  workers.  The  program  for  these  gather- 
ings should  be  built  about  a  theme.  A  school  workers" 
song  may  be  sung,  or  the  departments  may  sing  their  SLongs,, 


230  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

the   school  motto  and  goals  may  be  emphasized,  and  the 
school  colors  may  be  used  in  decorating. 

(b)  Parents'  socials. — Invitations  to  these  should  be 
written  or  printed  and  signed  by  the  social  committee  and 
the  school  or  department  superintendent  or  teacher.  In 
the  large  school  there  is  a  gain  in  having  the  parents'  so- 
cials by  departments,  that,  during  the  evening,  the  oflBcers 
may  have  opportunity  to  win  the  parents'  cooperation  in 
solving  problems  peculiar  to  the  department.  The  pupils 
should  have  a  part  in  the  exercises.  Teachers  should  use 
the  social  to  seek  closer  acquaintance  with  parents  of  their 
pupils.  Mothers  will  be  glad  to  serve  on  the  refreshment 
committee,  to  provide  basket  lunches  or  cake  and  coffee. 

(c)  Class  socials. — Usually  the  class  social  committee  will 
care  for  details  of  these.  The  school  social  committee  should 
seek  to  bring  together  classes  of  the  right  age  for  purposes 
of  acquaintance  and  fellowship. 

If  the  affair  becomes  a  federation  banquet  for  all  the  or- 
ganized classes  of  a  department,  the  classes  should  be  made 
responsible  for  their  own  table  decorations  and  food.  A 
prize  may  be  given  for  best  table  decorations.  The  classes 
on  entrance  should  move  around  all  the  tables  before  being 
seated.  There  will  be  class  songs,  yells,  stunts,  brief  ad- 
dresses from  class  presidents,  and  a  federation  song. 

(d)  School  socials. — These  may  consist  of  department  or 
general  school  socials,  according  to  the  size  of  the  school. 
If  a  school  social,  it  would  be  well  to  select  an  occasion 
timing  with  some  holiday,  such  as  Halloween  or  a  patriotic 
day.  This  will  give  opportunity  for  special  decoration  and 
program  variety.    The  following  are  suggested  as  examples : 

An  autumn  social  can  be  made  attractive  with  oak,  maple, 
and  fir  branches  and  leaves.  Crepe  paper  will  add  to  these 
effects.  An  autumn  leaf  may  be  pinned  to  the  clothing  of 
each  attendant. 

The  Thanksgiving  social  decorations  will  be  in  colonial 
colors.  Admittance  will  be  by  a  Scripture  verse  with  the 
word  "thanks"  in  it,  and  some  vegetable  gift.     The  pro- 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  231 

gram  will  bear  upon  the  Puritan  settlement  and  the  first 
Thanksgiving.  The  refreshments  will  be  served  by  young 
people  dressed  as  Priscillas  and  John  Aldens, 

A  Chinese  social  will  include  Chinese  lanterns,  draperies, 
and  decorations,  the  playing  of  Chinese  games  (see  Young 
Hunters  in  China),  and  stereopticon  pictures  of  China. 
Try  to  get  a  real' Chinaman  to  make  chop  suey,  cook  rice, 
and  arrange  tea  in  Chinese  cups,  and  girls  dressed  in  Chi- 
nese dress  to  serve. 

A  naval  supper  suggests  a  "passenger"  gangplank  at  the 
entrance,  a  table  steward  to  appoint  places,  the  tooting  of 
the  whistle,  the  dinner,  wireless  messages  at  the  table  to 
the  captain  concerning  the  passengers  and  read  aloud,  the 
playing  of  ring  toss,  songs  by  sailor  boys,  and  an  illus- 
trated lecture  on  the  Philippines,  where  the  ship  makes  a 
stopover. 

A  valentine  social  may  precede  or  follow  a  Heart  Sunday, 
on  which  kindliness  to  the  lonely,  the  stranger,  the  dis- 
couraged and  sick,  may  be  emphasized  in  the  school.  In- 
vitations to  the  social  will  be  in  the  form  of  hearts.  At  the 
door  a  heart,  on  which  are  a  number  and  the  names  of 
rooms  to  which  progress  may  be  made  for  stunts,  may  be 
presented.  The  wearer  of  the  card  must  find  a  lady  with 
the  corresponding  number  for  supper  or  refreshments. 

A  number  social  (say  a  "three  social"  or  a  "seven  social") 
has  many  possibilities  in  the  matter  of  invitations,  admis- 
sions, groupings,  trios,  the  number  at  table,  contests,  and 
Bible  references. 

A  "make  yourself  at  home"  evening  suggests  an  invita- 
tion in  the  form  of  a  key  and  keyhole,  and  personal  choices 
of  Victrola  records.  You  help  yourself  in  "eats"  and  in 
informal  chat. 

A  welcome  social  for  new  or  prospective  pupils  requires 
the  tagging  of  the  guests,  a  welcome  from  class  and  de- 
partment officers,  the  school  song,  decorations,  and  slogan. 

In  one  school  four  teen-age  classes  gave  a  social  recep- 
tion to  the  recent  high-school  graduates.    Officers  and  teach- 


232  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ers  were  invited.  Members  of  the  welcoming  classes  read 
brief  papers  on  "The  School  From  Which  There  Is  No 
Graduation,"  "The  Life  Worth  While,"  "Things  We  Will 
Remember,"  etc.  The  guests  were  conducted  to  the  four 
classrooms,  which  were  decorated  with  class  pennants, 
maps,  drawings,  books,  mottoes,  and  pictures.  In  one  room 
was  a  booth  with  refreshments.  Several  of  the  high-school 
visitors  pledged  Sunday-school  membership  that  night. 

In  one  Junior  Department  social  the  ninety  minutes 
were  given  to  five  periods:  twenty  to  recitations  and  mu- 
sic; twenty  to  stories  by  a  story-teller;  twenty  to  reflecto- 
scope  post  cards;  twenty  to  games;  and  ten  to  apple  eating. 

One  school,  for  a  season,  planned  "fireside  socials"  at 
Taomes,  care  being  taken  that  classes  were  rightly  grouped, 
and  that  every  class  was  included  before  the  end  of  the 
season. 

The  socials  of  the  Boy  Scouts  and  Girl  Scouts  and  Camp 
Fire  Girls  will  bring  in  the  camping,  nature,  and  service 
features   of  these  organizations. 

Mother-and-daughter  banquets  have  become  a  country- 
wide feature.  No  daughter  may  come  without  her  mother, 
and  vice  versa.  The  program,  of  course,  should  be  by  the 
girls,  with  one  good  talk  that  will  help  to  relate  mother 
and  daughter  more  intimately,  and  which  will  tie  the  moth- 
,ers  to  Sunday-school  interest  and  membership. 

Father-and-son  banquets  have  the  same  general  features 
as  the  mother-and-daughter  affairs.  Information  as  to  both 
can  be  obtained  from  your  Sunday-school  board  or  from  the 
International  Sunday  School  Council  (Chicago). 

Many  a  social  committee  will  be  grateful  for  A  Year  of 
Recreation,  by  Ethel  Owen  (The  Abingdon  Press),  which 
provides  a  unique  social  evening  for  every  month  of  the 
year. 

(8)  Indoor  Bible  games  for  socials. — Most  interesting 
evenings  can  be  spent  with  Bible  contests,  games,  and  puz- 
zles. Card  games  on  Bible  books,  commandments,  and 
Beatitudes,  and  Bible  drills  may  be  readily  obtained.   Bible 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  233 

guessing  contests  will  evoke  much  interest,  questions  being 
asked  of  either  side  (from  a  Bible-question  list)  on  the 
more  familiar  parts  of  Scripture  history  and  on  the  books 
of  the  Bible  and  Bible  characters.  Or  the  contest  may  be 
purely  a  spelling  contest,  the  members  spelling  Bible  names 
and  places.  Paper  may  be  given  out  to  see  who  can  write 
down  the  longest  list  of  Bible  characters  and  Bible  places. 
A  running  story  may  be  told  to  a  pause,  the  name  of  a 
well-known  Bible  book,  place,  or  person  being  guessed  by 
the  company  to  make  the  sense.  Concealed  Bible  names  of 
persons,  places,  or  books  m.ay  be  guessed  in  such  sentences 
as  "My  son  Matt  hews  beams"  or  "My  banjo  broke." 

(9)  Pageantry  and  dramatization. — These  new  forms  of 
educational  entertainment,  as  applied  to  the  Sunday  school, 
hold  promise  of  great  expansion  in  the  line  of  pageantry 
(or  pageantry  combined  with  music),  tableaux,  and  plays. 
The  Bible  itself  furnishes  rich  material  for  this.  In  the 
last  ten  years  tremendous  strides  have  been  made  in  visual- 
izing and  teaching  missions  and  religious  truth  through 
pageantry  alone.  Practically  all  missionary  organizations 
are  utilizing  this  method.  The  Methodist  Centenary  Ex- 
hibition at  Columbus  was  a  demonstration  of  the  power  of 
visualization  of  missions.  Scores  of  pageants  have  been 
written  and  are  now  on  the  market  and  available  for  the 
small  and  large  school.  Professor  H.  Augustine  Smith,  of 
the  Department  of  Pageantry,  Music,  and  Religious  Art  of 
Boston  University,  has  specialized  in  religious  pageantry. 
Lists  of  material  may  be  obtained  from  The  Church  School 
(150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City),  the  Missionary  Edu- 
cation Movement  (150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City),  and 
denominational,  missionary,  and  other  organizations,  and 
adapted  to  the  social  conditions.  They  will  prove  a  great 
asset  to  any  school  in  awakening  a  new  and  vital  interest 
in  things  worth  while. 

2.  Pupils*  organizations.  There  is  a  time  in  the  pupil's 
life  when  he  wants  to  belong  to  something.  The  superin- 
tendent is  wise  who  meets  this  inevitable  desire  with  the 


234  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

suggestion  of  some  organization  that,  while  planning  ade- 
quately for  the  physical  and  social  life,  gives  due  emphasis 
to  the  moral  and  religious  element,  and  which  becomes  a 
means  or  stepping-stone  for  enlarged  service. 

The  writer  will  name  some  organizations  that  have  stood 
the  test  of  trial,  and  which  have,  as  a  rule,  character-mak- 
ing objectives: 

(1)  Religious  organizations. —  (a)  The  organized  adult 
Bible  class. — This  is  placed  first  because  it  so  largely 
meets  the  requirements  for  the  recreational  life,  while  it 
has  at  the  core  personal  evangelism,  missions,  and  service 
growing  out  of  Bible  study.  For  this  reason  it  is  gradually 
replacing  the  brotherhood  except  where  the  latter  becomes 
a  Brotherhood  Bible  Class,  with  a  weekly  session  for  Bible 
study. 

The  general  plan  of  organization  includes  the  teacher, 
president,  secretary,  and  the  membership,  social,  spiritual, 
and  benevolent  committees.  The  plan  applies  equally  to 
men  and  women.  An  adult-Bible-class  button,  with  white 
center  and  red  rim,  is  the  emblem  of  the  class.  A  certifi- 
cate of  organization  of  the  denominational  Sunday-school 
board  should  decorate  the  room.  A  library  of  choice  books 
for  adults  should  be  kept  in  circulation.  Leaflets  explain- 
ing class  plans  should  be  obtained  from  denominational 
headquarters  and  the  State  Sunday-school  association. 

(b)  Organized  young  people's  classes. — More  than  one 
hundred  thousand  such  classes  have  been  organized  in  re- 
cent years.  The  same  general  plan  of  organization  as  in 
the  adult  class  may  be  followed.  Pennants  and  mottoes  will 
be  of  interest  at  this  age.  A  class  name  and  an  objective 
for  special  giving  and  service  should  be  chosen.  As  with 
the  adult  class  a  monthly  meeting  of  the  class  is  held  for 
recreational   and  business   purposes. 

(c)  EpwortU  League,  Christian  Endeavor,  Baptist  Young 
People's  Union. — Information  as  to  all  such  denominational 
and  interdenominational  young  people's  organizations  can 
be  obtained  from  their  headquarters. 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  235 

(d)  Missionary/  organizations. — Practically  all  home  and 
foreign  missionary  societies  provide  for  graded  missionary 
organizations  that  can  he  applied  to  the  Sunday  school. 
For  instance,  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  plan  there 
are  the  Little  Light  Bearers  and  Mothers'  Jewels  for  the 
primary  children,  the  Standard  Bearers  and  Home  Guards 
for  the  juniors,  the  King's  Heralds  for  teen-age  boys,  and 
the  Queen  Esther  Circle  for  teen-age  girls.  Each  of  these 
organizations  has  a  course  of  study  and  a  program  of 
service. 

(2)  Boys'  organizations. —  (a)  The  Brotherhood  of  Saint 
Andrew. — This  is  an  organization  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  with  a  Junior  and  a  Senior  Department.  "Its 
sole  object  is  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom  among  boys." 
It  has  a  rule  of  prayer  and  a  rule  of  service.  Its  ages  are 
from  twelve  to  twenty;  headquarters:  Broad  Exchange 
Building,  Boston. 

(6)  Junior  Brotherhood  of  Andrew  and  Philip. — An  in- 
terdenominational organization  for  junior  and  intermediate 
boys,  similar  to  the  Junior  Department  of  the  Brotherhood 
of  Saint  Andrew.  "Its  object  shall  be  to  extend  Christ's 
kingdom  among  the  youth."  Athletics  and  social  diversions 
are  supplemented  to  its  main  objects  of  daily  prayer  for 
others  and  daily  service  in  seeking  to  win  others  for  the 
church.  Headquarters:  Hale  Building,  Chestnut  Street, 
Philadelphia. 

(c)  Knights  of  King  Arthur. — An  interdenominational 
organization  for  boys  twelve  to  fifteen  years  of  age,  center- 
ing about  the  legend  of  King  Arthur  and  his  court.  There 
are  three  degrees — namely,  page,  esquire,  knight — each 
standing  for  certain  attainments.  There  is  a  watchword 
and  a  regalia.  Church  membership  is  the  final  goal.  Head- 
quarters: 600  West  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second 
Street,  New  York  City. 

(d)  Sons  of  Daniel  Boone. — This  organization  aims  to 
promote  outdoor  life,  to  preserve  American  traditions,  and 
to  protect  forests  and  game.    It  is  useful  as  a  junior  organ- 


236  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Ization  for  Boy  Scouts.  The  pledge  has  eight  articles. 
Headquarters:    Flushing,  Long  Island,  New  York  City. 

(e)  Kappa  Sigma  Pi,  or  Knights  of  Saint  Paul. — An  or- 
ganization for  boys  ten  years  old  and  over,  closely  akin  in 
general  form  to  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur.  It  takes 
Saint  Paul  as  the  hero  and  has  three  degrees:  the  order  of 
Jerusalem,  the  order  of  Damascus,  and  the  order  of  Rome. 
It  emphasizes  Bible  study.  Christian  confession,  Chautauqua 
boys'  work,  and  summer  camps.  Headquarters:  Auburn 
Avenue,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

(/)  The  Boy  Scouts  of  America. — An  interdenominational 
;and  nonsectarian  organization  for  boys  and  young  men. 
"The  aim  of  the  Boy  Scouts  is  to  supplement  the  various 
-existing  agencies  and  to  promote  the  ability  in  boys  to  do 
things  for  themselves  and  others."  There  are  twelve  Scout 
Jaws  and  a  pledge.  Three  classes  of  Scouts  are  provided 
for:  tenderfoot,  second-class  Scout,  and  first-class  Scout. 
Loyalty  to  God,  country,  and  one's  religious  duties  is  em- 
phasized. Address  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools,  58  East 
Washington  Street,  Chicago. 

(g)  King's  Messengers. — This  is  also  called  the  Boys' 
Messenger  service.  It  is  for  boys  ten  to  fifteen  years  of 
age,  selected  one  for  each  district  into  which  the  school 
neighborhood  may  be  divided.  They  are  provided  with  cap, 
button,  and  messenger  record  book.  Members  must  not 
use  tobacco  or  profane  language,  must  be  courteous,  and 
must  be  regular  attendants  at  Sunday  school.  A  manager 
and  captain  are  required.  Their  service  includes  (1)  Home 
Department  material,  messages,  and  libraries  delivered; 
(2)  pastor's  and  superintendent's  messages  taken,  cards  of 
invitation  distributed,  birthday  letters,  Rally  Day  and 
other  special-day  invitations,  notices  to  absent  pupils  and 
teachers,  flowers  and  fruit  to  sick  and  shut-ins;  (3)  new 
families  in  neighborhood  of  messenger  to  be  visited  with 
cards  of  invitation  and  introduction  to  the  school.  Meet- 
ings at  stated  times  should  be  held,  reports  received,  with 
games,  wholesome  talks,  a  reading  circle,  an  occasional  so- 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  237 

cial  time,  and  drill.  Outdoor  and  other  amusements  may 
be  planned  for  as  needed. 

(3)  Girls'  organizations. —  (a)  Queens  of  Avalon. — Cor- 
responds to  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur.  It  is  for  girls  of 
adolescent  years.  Its  object  is  "to  cultivate  Christian 
womanhood  among  its  members  and  to  render  Christian 
service  in  the  world."  The  three  degrees  are:  pilgrim, 
lady,  queen.  Its  plans  may  include  social,  literary,  benevo- 
lent and  mission  work,  as  well  as  the  cultivation  of  home 
tasks  and  womanly  deportment.  Headquarters:  Knights  of 
King  Arthur,  600  West  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second 
Street,  New  York  City. 

(&)  Camp  Fire  Girls. — This  organization  for  girls  cor- 
responds to  the  Boy  Scout  movement  for  boys.  While  not 
limited  as  to  age,  it  is  best  adapted  to  teen-age  girls.  Its 
purpose  is  "to  add  the  beauty  of  organization  and  the  charm 
of  romance  to  work,  health,  and  play."  The  three  ranks 
are:  woodgatherer,  firemaker,  and  torchbearer.  The  leader 
of  the  local  camp  fire  is  guardian.  Honors  are  awarded 
for  proficiency  in  seven  crafts.  Address  the  Board  of  Sun- 
day Schools,  58  East  Washington  Street,  Chicago. 

(c)  Girl  Scouts. — This  is  a  national  nonsectarian  organ- 
ization, with  a  motto,  "Be  prepared";  a  slogan,  "Do  a  good 
turn  daily";  a  promise,  "On  my  honor  I  will  try:  to  do  my 
duty  to  God  and  my  country;  to  help  other  people  at  all 
times;  to  obey  the  Scout  laws."  The  Scout  laws  emphasize 
honor,  loyalty,  usefulness,  friendliness,  courtesy,  humanity* 
obedience,  cheerfulness,  thrift,  and  purity.     Headquarters: 

'189  Lexington  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

(d)  Girl  Pioneers  of  America. — Aims  to  develop  courage, 
uprightness,  resourcefulness,  health,  usefulness,  and  whole- 
some character.  Its  watchword  is  "I  can."  Its  pledge  is 
"I  will  speak  the  truth  at  all  times."  It  is  nonsectarian.  It 
is  built  on  American  history  and  ideals  and  majors  on 
Americanization  in  all  lines  of  work.  Headquarters: 
Flushing,  Long  Island,  New  York  City. 

(e)  QirW  Friendly  Society  in  America. — An  organization 


238  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  promote  the  asso- 
ciation of  girls  and  young  women  for  mutual  help  and 
protection.  It  is  akin  to  the  Big  Brother  Movement.  It 
is  a  training  in  friendship  in  our  relation  to  God,  the  home, 
and  others.  It  emphasizes  purity,  duty  to  parents,  faith- 
fulness, and  thrift. 

(/)  Bethany  Oirls. — An  inspirational  organization  pro- 
moting Christian  life  and  service.  It  is  interdenomina- 
tional. Its'aim  is  "Every  girl  a  spiritual  center  radiating 
the  Master's  purpose  in  her  home,  daily  life,  and  church." 
It  has  a  badge  and  covenant.  Headquarters:  504  Masonic 
Temple,  Chicago. 

(4)  Organizations  for  boys  and  girls. — (a)  The  Interna- 
tional Order  of  King's  Daughters  and  Sons. — This  is  for 
both  juniors  and  seniors.  The  requirements  are  loyalty 
to  Christ  and  allegiance  to  the  aims  of  the  international 
order.  The  watchword  of  the  order  is  "In  His  Name."  The 
work  of  the  circle  is  elastic  in  scope,  depending  on  com- 
munity needs.  Headquarters:  280  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

(b)  Older  Boys'  and  Oirls'  Conferences. — This  is  rather 
a  movement  than  an  organization.  It  consists  of  local, 
country,  and  State  conferences  of  representatives  of  the 
Young  People's  Division  of  the  Sunday  School,  with  a  well- 
defined  program  and  with  devotional  training  and  social 
and  athletic  features.  Its  special  purpose  is  to  train  young 
people  to  100-per-cent  service  efficiency  and  to  equip  them  as 
leaders  in  their  local  school  and  community.  Reference 
has  been  made  to  the  International  Sunday  School  Coun- 
cil Training  School  for  these  leaders  at  Lake  Geneva, 
Wisconsin,  and  at  Lake  Winnepesaukee,  New  Hampshire. 
Full  information  as  to  these  conferences,  which  are 
intended  chiefly  for  young  people  of  the  Senior  Depart- 
ment, can  be  obtained  from  the  denominational  head- 
quarters or  those  of  the  International  Sunday  School 
Council. 


RECREATION  AND  ORGANIZATIONS  239 

Bibliography 

Physical  Health  and  Recreation  for  Girls,  Moxcey. 
Social  Plans  for  Young  People,  Reisner. 
A  Year  of  Recreation,  Owen. 
Camping  for  Boys,  Gibson. 
Social  Evenings,  Wells. 
Boy  Training,  Alexander. 

Games   for    the   Playground,    Home,    School,    and    Gym- 
nasium, Bancroft. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The   influence  of  organizations   in  holding  the   boys. 
"Ice  breakers,"  games,  and  stunts  for  small  groups. 

2.  Recreation  in  character  development. 

Topics  for  Class   Discussion 

1.  How  shall  the  recreations  and  social  life  of  the  school 
be  directed? 

2.  What  forms  can  the  outdoor  recreations  take? 

3.  What  can  be  done  in  indoor  recreations? 

4.  What  equipment  is  necessary  for  athletic  work? 

5.  What   are   lines   of   work    for   the   King's   Messenger 
Service? 

6.  Name   several   organizations   of   interest   to   boys   and 
young  men. 

7.  Name  a  few  good  organizations  for  girls. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME 

Linking  up  the  home  to  the  program  of  the  Sunday 
school  is  absolutely  important  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
Sunday  school,  the  home,  and  the  complete  religious  edu- 
cation of  the  child.  The  drive  of  the  Sunday  school  and 
the  church  should  be  to  make  the  homes  of  our  pupils  and 
the  homes  of  which  some  day  they  will  be  the  head  Chris- 
tian homes.  For  the  Christian  family  is  at  the  foundation 
of  the  church,  the  community,  the  state,  and  a  Christian 
civilization. 

It  is  patent  that  the  Sunday  school  cannot  be  a  substitute 
for  the  home  and  cannot  compete  with  it  as  a  place  for  the 
formation  of  character.  Against  the  two  hours  that  the 
church  and  the  Sunday  school  control  .weekly,  the  public 
school  has  twenty-five  hours,  and  the  home,  aside  from  sleep, 
■eighty-five  hours.  The  failure  of  the  home  is  evidenced  in 
the  national  crime  bill  of  six  billions.  The  Sunday  school 
stands  as  the  greatest  single  agency  in  correcting  the  home 
deficiency,  but  it  is  woefully  handicapped  in  meeting  this 
challenge  by  lack  of  vision,  time,  force,  and  equipment. 
The  survey  of  the  Religious  Education  Division  of  the  In- 
terchurch  World  Movement  showed  twenty-four  hours  as 
the  annual  time  investment  of  the  average  Protestant  child 
in  religious  education,  as  against  two  hundred  hours  of  the 
Catholic  child  and  335  hours  of  the  Jewish  child. 

In  this  chapter  we  shall  indicate  plans  by  which  the 
Sunday  school  can  cooperate  with  the  home  in  the  religious 
education  of  the  child  and  can  transfer  to  the  home  in  a 
large  way  the  responsibility  for  such  education. 

1.  Methods  of  reaching  the  home.  (1)  A  letter  to 
the  parents  when  the  pupil  joins,  pleasantly  noting  the  ad- 
mission and  asking  for  attendance  and  cooperation,     (2) 

240 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       241 

A  visit,  shortly  afterward,  by  superintendent  or  teacher, 
district  visitor,  pastor,  or  near-by  church  members.  To 
bring  about  this  result  in  the  writer's  school  a  fourfold 
carbon  copy  of  the  new  pupil's  record  is  taken,  copies  go- 
ing to  the  superintendent,  pastor,  teacher,  and  secretary, 
the  superintendent  sending  a  notice  to  the  district  visitor 
and  a  neighbor.  (3)  Special  invitation  to  a  school  excur- 
sion and  to  special  days.  (4)  Heartfelt  home  messages  at 
Easter,  Thanksgiving,  and  Christmas.  (5)  Observance  of 
Parents'  or  Mother's  Day.  (6)  School  and  department  par- 
ents' socials,  at  which  the  superintendent  will  have  op- 
portunity to  make  a  tactful  plea  for  cooperation,  (7)  In- 
vitation to  the  graduation  or  promotion  exercises.  (8) 
Quarterly  report  of  pupil's  work.  (9)  Invitation  to  par- 
ents to  attend  the  school  and  the  teachers'  meetings  to  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  school's  plan  of  work.  These 
and  other  methods  will  be  expanded  in  other  paragraphs. 

2.  House-to-house  visitation.  To  ascertain  the  school's 
responsibility  to  the  unattached  as  well  as  the  attached 
homes  of  the  community  a  complete  house-to-house  visita- 
tion should  be  arranged  after  a  careful  survey  of  the  com- 
munity. While  the  work  can  be  undertaken  by  an  indi- 
vidual school,  its  best  results  in  influencing  the  com- 
munity and  in  promoting  denominational  fellowship 
will  come  from  a  general  canvass,  in  which  all  churches  or 
schools  unite.  The  plan  involves  organization  for  the  visita- 
tion of  every  home  in  the  city  or  community  within  one 
day,  the  exchange  of  reports,  and  the  reference  to  each  de- 
nomination for  follow-up  work  of  those  families  which  have 
suggested  a  denominational  preference. 

The  usual  result  of  such  visitation,  when  wisely  and  per- 
sistently followed  up,  is  a  large  ingathering  to  churches 
and  schools  and  often  a  community  religious  revival.  It 
could  hardly  fail  to  be  so  when  such  a  card  invitation  is 
extended  as  this: 

We  come  to-day  with  a  cordial  invitation  to  you  from 


242  THE-  SUPERINTENDENT 

every  Sunday  school  and  churcli  in  this  community.  If 
you  attend  the  services  in  the  church  and  Sunday  school 
of  your  church  regularly,  all  extend  greetings;  if  you  do 
not,  all  join  in  a  most  earnest  request  that  you  do  so.  We 
want  to  assure  you  a  hearty  welcome. 

This  invitation  is  signed:  "In  behalf  of  all  churches  and 
Sunday  schools  in  the  community." 

It  may  be  necessary  in  some  cases  for  one  Sunday  school 
alone  to  conduct  such  visitation.  Cards  should  be  filled 
out  showing  those  in  each  home  not  connected  with  the 
Sunday  school  and  the  department  to  which  each  would  be 
naturally  related.  Membership  will  of  course,  where  possi- 
ble, be  pledged  by  the  visitor.  The  cards  gathered  will  be 
assorted  and  assigned  for  follow-up  visitation  by  the  pas- 
tor, visitors,  or  enrollment  committee,  or  by  the  superin- 
'  tendent  of  departments.  Visitors  for  this  work  will  be 
chosen  with  reference  to  tact  and  enthusiasm. 

3.  District  visitor.  Reference  has  been  made  to  the 
district  visitor.  This  may  be  a  teacher  or  a  member  of  the 
school  (not  a  teacher)  who  will  visit  and  report  on  new 
Sunday-school  families  in  his  district.  These  may  be  re- 
ported to  the  visitor  by  the  superintendent  when  a  pupil 
joins  the  school,  the  visitor  reporting  back  on  the  card 
forms  full  information  as  a  basis  for  further  visitation;  or 
the  family  may  be  discovered  by  the  visitor  and  reported  on 
his  own  initiative.  In  either  case  cordial  relations  will  be 
established  by  the  visitor.  Members  will  be  gathered  for 
the  Cradle  Roll  and  Home  Department  or  enrolled  in  other 
departments  of  the  Sunday  school  and  invited  to  attend 
church.  The  visiting  report  blank  should  indicate  the  de- 
partments, classes,  names,  and  addresses  of  those  visited, 
as  well  as  the  name  of  the  visitor,  the  date  of  visitation, 
and  special  remarks.  Blanks  for  membership  in  the  Cradle 
Roll  or  Home  Department  should  be  attached  to  the  report. 
Information  as  to  other  nonattending  members  of  the 
household  can  be  obtained.  The  district  visitor  may  also 
look  up   absentees  within  his   district  where  the  teacher 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME        243 

cannot  visit,  or  where  the  King's  Messengers  are  not  or- 
ganized for  such  visitation. 

4.  Securing  home  cooperationi.  (1)  Through  reports 
on  pupil's  work. — Many  schools  make  it  a  point  to  send, 
monthly  or  quarterly,  pupil's  reports  to  the  parents  for 
signature  and  return  for  the  school's  permanent  records. 
These  reports  cover  such  items  as  attendance,  promptness, 
offering,  church  attendance,  lesson  study,  home  or  manual 
work,  with,  in  some  cases,  an  average  grade  mark.  They  do 
not  reach  beyond  the  Intermediate  Department.  The  re- 
sults of  the  plan  indicate  improvement  in  all  of  the  depart- 
ments reported  upon,  and  parents  frequently  join  the  Bible 
classes  of  such  a  school. 

(2)  Through  the  superintendent's  letters. — Usually  the 
pastor  will  join  in  writing  these  home  letters.  They  should 
be  sent  at  various  times  of  the  year,  and  their  subjects  will 
depend  on  the  occasion.  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  they 
should  bear  upon  the  cordial  cooperation  of  the  parents  in 
securing  prompt  and  regular  attendance,  ten  minutes  daily 
attention  to  lesson  preparation,  or  daily  reading  of  the 
home  Bible  selections.  At  Decision  Day  they  should  ask 
the  parents'  prayerful  cooperation  in  securing  the  Christian 
decision  of  their  children.  The  reaction  of  this  upon  the 
parents  themselves  will  be  worth  while.  Other  letters  may 
bear  upon  special  school  occasions  or  may  invite  the  par- 
ents to  parents'  socials. 

(3)  Parents'  church  attendance. — In  addition  to  the 
effort  to  secure  the  attendance  of  parents  upon  such  days 
as  Mother's  or  Parents'  Day  it  will  be  very  profitable  to 
plan  for  specific  invitations  to  the  regular  church  services, 
setting  goals  for  the  attendance  of  fathers  and  of  mothers. 
In  my  own  church  we  have  frequently  set  such  goals  and 
have  asked  for  the  help  of  the  pupils  in  securing  the  pres- 
ence of  parents.  On  one  Sunday  evening  we  made  it  a 
fathers'  night,  and  more  than  five  hundred  fathers  were  in 
attendance.  Then  five  hundred  mothers  were  prevailed 
upon  to  attend  a  mothers'  service.    At  the  morning  church 


244  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

service   a  nursery  should   be   established   to   care   for   the 
babies  or  children  while  the  mothers  are  in  the  service. 

(4)  Cards  of  suggestions. — One  school  sent  to  the  homes 
a  card  entitled  "How  Your  Home  Can  Help."    It  reads: 

Forming  Christian  character  and  intelligence  is  great 
work.  We  can  do  it  best  by  working  together.  These  are 
things  your  home  can  do  to  help:  (a)  See  to  it  that  the 
pupil  has  a  definite  place  to  keep  the  materials  for  the 
school  work.  (&)  Help  the  pupil  to  maintain  a  regular 
time  for  home  work,  (c)  Get  the  pupil  started  for  school 
on  time,  with  all  materials  needed  for  the  Sunday's  work. 
id)  Get  acquainted  with  the  teacher  to  whom  you  are  in- 
trusting the  religious  instruction  of  your  children,  (e) 
Come  and  encourage  them  in  their  work  for  you  and  yours 
by  your  interest  and  presence.  (/)  Come  with  your  young 
people  and  help  them  form  the  wholesome  habit  of  regular 
church  attendance.  (g)  Read  the  Bible  and  pray  with 
your  children,  (h)  Speak  enthusiastically  of  religious  prin- 
ciples and  set  them  an  example  of  religious  faith. 

(5)  Departmental  parents'  socials. — These  give  a  choice 
opportunity  of  relating  parents  to  the  oflBicers  and  depart- 
mental teachers  and  to  get  a  close-up  view  of  the  age  prob- 
lem, which  is  common  to  parent  and  teacher.  The  young 
people  (if  it  is  an  intermediate  or  senior  parents'  social) 
will  be  glad  to  help  in  both  the  program  and  serving.  Pas- 
tor and  superintendent  may  win  sympathy  and  help  for  the 
oflacers  and  teachers  by  presenting  school  problems.  An 
exhibit  of  departmental  work  may  be  made,  and  a  depart- 
mental library  of  suggestive  and  helpful  books  be  made 
available  for  the  parents'  reading.  Such  books  as  Educa- 
tion by  Plays  and  Games,  Johnson;  and  Play  Life  in  the 
First  Eight  Years,  Palmer,  will  be  especially  helpful  to 
parents  of  younger  children.  Games  appropriate  to  the 
age  may  be  suggested  to  the  parents  at  the  meeting  or  by 
circular  or  card. 

(6)  Mother-and-daughter  and  father-and-son  banquets. — 
These  have  been  referred  to.  They  should  be  for  parents 
of  pupils  twelve  and  over.     A  theme  used  at  one  mother- 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       245 

and-daughter  banquet  was  "Working  Together  for  the 
Best."  After  prayer  and  dinner  there  were  toasts:  "Our 
Girls,"  by  a  mother;  "Mother,"  by  a  girl.  Then  came  five- 
minute  talks  by  both  girls  and  mothers  on  "The  Best  Men- 
tally"; "The  Best  Physically";  "The  Best  Religiously"; 
"The  Best  Socially";  "The  All-Round  Girl."  Then  there 
was  a  short  address  on  "The  American  Home,"  by  a  mother, 
"Working  Together  for  the  Best"  and  "The  Challenge  of 
the  Present  Day  to  Womanhood"  are  suggested  topics. 

(7)  Instructional  classes. — If  you  have  a  competent 
woman,  establish  a  class  or  classes  in  cooking,  sewing,  and 
home  management  for  teen-age  girls.  Invite  mothers  or 
parents  for  an  occasional  exhibit  of  the  girls'  proficiency. 

(8)  Other  ways. — The  school's  employment  department 
will  be  found  a  fine  link  between  home  and  school.  A  father 
came  to  our  school  one  Sunday  saying,  "I  don't  take  much 
stock  in  this  pious  business,  but  you  folks  got  my  boy  a  job 
last  week,  and  I  thought  I  would  come  and  look  you  over." 
To  care  for  the  children's  needs  in  a  summer  home  or  camp 
will  be  sure  to  help  home  cooperation.  Courses  of  study 
for  the  home,  parents'  libraries.  Mother's  Day,  and  other 
special  features  will  be  treated  later. 

5.  Helping  tlie  parents  in  home  religion.  (1)  The 
family  altar. — Through  the  Home  Department,  the  use  of 
the  daily  home  Bible  readings,  and  through  parents', 
fathers',  or  mothers'  classes  and  gatherings  the  Sunday 
school  is  in  a  peculiarly  favorable  position  to  cooperate 
with  the  pastor  in  realizing  as  a  goal  "the  family  altar  (or 
family  worship)  in  every  home."  Some  churches  institute 
campaigns  to  carry  this  into  effect,  presenting  the  impor- 
tance of  the  plan  in  the  church  service,  securing  pledges 
from  members,  and  enlisting  the  officiary  of  the  church  in 
a  visitation  of  all  church  homes  to  attain  such  pledges.  In 
our  own-  church  we  used  the  pledge: 

I  hereby  accept  membership  in  this  league  [Family  Altar 
League]  and  will  do  what  I  can  to  extend  its  benefits  to 
others.    Its  duties,  I  understand,  are  as  follows:     As  a  mem- 


246  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ber  of  a  family  circle  I  will  endeavor  to  have  read  aloud 
daily  in  the  presence  of  my  family  some  portion  of  the 
Bible.  This  daily  reading  is  to  he  followed  by,  at  least, 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  (If  single,  I  pledge  the  above  as  part 
of  my  private  devotions.) 

William  H.  Ridgeway,  at  Coatesville,  Pennsylvania,  fol- 
lowed this  plan  in  introducing  family  worship  in  hundreds 
of  the  homes  of  his  pupils.  He  furnished  each  week  a  card 
with  the  home  readings  for  each  day  of  the  week,  this  card 
to  be  marked  and  returned.  A  reward  was  given  for  one 
year's  adherence  to  the  plan. 

The  Family  Worship  League  covenant  promoted  by  the 
Board  of  Sunday  Schools  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
reads: 

Believing  that  the  opportunity  and  the  responsibility  of 
the  family  for  forming  Christian  character  are  of  the  ut- 
most importance,  our  family  hereby  agrees  to  observe 
family  worship  regularly  and  to  give  the  vital  themes  of 
religion  a  fair  share  of  consideration  in  our  conversation 
and  reading.  We  further  agree  to  cooperate  with  all 
agencies  seeking  to  vitalize  religious  observance  in  the 
homes  of  the  community. 


For  the  help  of  those  pledged  are  suggested  such  books  as 
Morning  Prayers  for  Home  Worship,  Skene;  Service  and 
Prayers  for  Church  and  Home,  Thirkield;  The  Busy  Man's 
BiUe,  Dudley;  The  Throne  of  Grace,  Quayle;  A  Book  of 
Family  Worship  (Presbyterian  Board) ;  Week-Day  Prayers, 
Reisner;  At  Mother's  Knee,  Davis;  Bible  Reading  and  Re- 
ligious Education  in  the  Family,  is  published  by  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Publication  Society,  Philadelphia. 

Participation  by  the  children  in  the  family  worship 
should  be  suggested.  Young  children  especially  should  be 
encouraged  to  ask  questions.  Meanings  should  be  made 
clear.  Bible  pictures  may  be  introduced  to  illustrate  the 
story.  Children  should  share  in  the  reading.  Scripture 
should   be   repeated   by    the    family   in   unison.     Favorite 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       247 

verses  should  be  called  for,  as  well  as  verses  containing  im- 
portant words,  such  as  "love"  and  "hope."  The  alphabetical- 
verse  plan  may  be  followed.  Pivotal  passages,  such  as  in 
Scripture  Memory  Work  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Company), 
should  be  committed  and  called  for.  Hymns  should  be  sung 
and  repeated  from  memory.  A  suggestive  pamphlet,  Re- 
ligious Education  in  the  Family,  is  published  by  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Publication  Society,  Philadelphia. 

(2)  Religious  material. — This  will  consist  of  pictures, 
forms  of  grace,  and  prayers  (see  Grace  Before  Meat, 
Wells),  daily  home  Bible  readings,  library,  magazines,  and 
songs.  Many  choice  suggestions  on  these  lines  will  be 
found  in  Religious  Education  in  the  Family,  Cope,  includ- 
ing a  library  and  list  of  pictures,  referred  to  above.  In  our 
school  we  distributed  to  all  families  that  agreed  to  frame 
them  pictures  of  "Washington  at  Prayer  at  Valley  Forge." 
We  also  gave,  to  be  hung  up  in  the  home,  "Christ  Is  the 
Head  of  This  House."  Forms  of  grace  and  children's  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayers,  printed  on  cardboard,  were  given 
to  mothers  of  children  in  the  Beginners'  and  Primary  De- 
partments. In  Pleasant  Sunday  Afternoons  for  the  Chil- 
dren, Paris,  will  be  found  a  wealth  of  suggestions  for  happy 
Sundays  in  the  home. 

(3)  Parents'  library. — The  list  of  books  applicable  to  the 
devotional  life  of  the  home  and  to  the  general  efficiency  of 
the  home  in  the  field  of  religious  education  and  of  helpful 
home  reading  is  a  very  long  one  and  is  being  added  to  con- 
stantly. Quite  a  long  list  may  be  found  in  Sunday  School 
Officers'  Manual,  Brown,  Chapter  XIV.  The  Parent  and  the 
Child,  Cope;  and  Parents  and  Their  Children,  Moxcey,  are 
good  recent  contributions  to  this  subject. 

6.  The  Parents'  Department  of  the  school.  This  is 
recognized  as  an  activity  within  the  Adult  Division  of  the 
Sunday  school  or  as  a  section  of  it.  Sometimes  this  sec- 
tion, if  of  mothers'  classes,  is  called  the  Mothers'  Depart- 
ment and  is  separately  supervised.  Occasionally  you  will 
find  a  fathers'  class,  but  ordinarily  the  fathers  are  enrolled 


248  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

in  the  men's  classes.  The  Parents'  Department  of  the  Sun- 
day School,  St.  John  (Connecticut  State  Sunday  School 
Association)  and  The  Parents'  Department  (New  York 
State  Sunday  School  Association,  Albany,  New  York)  con- 
tain full  suggestions  as  to  this  department. 

(1)  Promoting  the  department. — Suggestions  for  build- 
ing the  department  are:  (a)  Appoint  a  superintendent  of 
parents'  work.  (&)  Have  the  pastor  assign  all  parents  who 
are   church   members   to   some    class   in    this   department. 

(c)  Get  a  list  of  school  parents,  advise  them  of  the  organ- 
ization of  this  department,  and  invite  them  to  membership. 

(d)  Get  a  group  of  mothers  into  competition  with  a  group 
of  fathers  for  a  membership  drive,  (e)  Make  a  special 
effort  with  parents  of  children  in  the  Cradle  Roll,  Begin- 
ners' and  Primary  Departments.  These  parents  are  more 
susceptible  to  the  appeal  and  often  come  to  the  school  with 
the  younger  children.  (/)  Encourage  mixed  classes  of 
young  fathers  and  mothers,  (g)  Wherever  possible  group 
parents  according  to  the  departmental  age  of  their  children 
in  order  to  study  together  the  problems  nearest  to  them. 
This  can  be  accomplished  by  beginning  the  classes  with 
groups  of  Cradle  Roll,  Beginners',  and  Primary  Department 
parents  and  working  then  for  groups  of  parents  of  pupils 
in  each  of  the  other  departments. 

(2)  Lessons  for  the  classes. — Parents'  courses,  or  courses 
for  parents'  classes,  are  now  in  process  of  production.  They 
are  designed  for  the  special  help  of  teachers,  parents,  and 
the  home.  They  treat  such  topics  as  perplexities  of  the 
modern  home;  the  home  atmosphere;  building  strong 
bodies;  forming  right  habits;  the  child  at  work;  doing  for 
others;  training  the  devotional  life;  the  child  and  the  church. 
The  Abingdon  Press  (New  York  City)  publishes  an  "Amer- 
ican Home  Series" — thirty-four  pamphlets  adaptable  for 
Sunday  or  week-day  discussion,  including  such  vital  themes 
as  "The  Nation's  Challenge  to  the  Home";  "The  Roots  of 
Disposition  and  Character";  "First  Steps  in  Character"; 
"The  Religious  Nurture  of  a  Little  Child";  "Sunday  in  the 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       249 

Home";  "Youth's  Outlook  Upon  Life";   "Sex  Discipline  for 
Boys  in  the  Home." 

(3)  Activities  of  parents'  classes. — These  classes  may 
have  their  own  individual  social  and  service  plans  or  may 
combine  for  these.  Such  classes,  if  of  mothers,  meet 
monthly,  organize  the  usual  committees,  but  take  as  a  serv- 
ice objective  a  ministry  to  motherhood  in  their  neighbor- 
hood or  in  this  or  other  lands.  They  naturally  will  seek 
to  help  nurseries,  hospitals,  orphanages,  and  summer  camps 
or  homes  for  children,  and  will  promote  the  social  better- 
ment of  their  community  in  the  interest  of  the  protection  of 
childhood.  Fathers'  classes  may  take  objectives  distinctly 
for  men. 

(4)  General  parents'  sociaZs.-— The  Parents'  Department 
may  promote  an  occasional  social  general  get-together  of 
all  parents,  whether  members  of  the  classes  or  not.  That 
will  be  a  good  opportunity  to  explain  the  plans  and  purposes 
of  the  classes  and  enlist  members. 

(5)  What  the  Parents'  Department  seeks. — A  pamphlet 
published  by  the  New  York  State  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion gives  as  the  objectives  of  the  department:  (a)  the 
study  of  the  children  by  their  parents  one  half  hour  each 
day  (through  play,  story-telling,  etc.);  (&)  the  reading  of 
one  good  parents'  book  each  year;  (c)  attendance  upon  a 
weekly  class  and  a  monthly  club  meeting  (a  parents'  prob- 
lem class)  ;  {d)  Parents'  Day  observed  in  the  churches; 
(e)  sex  instruction  of  children  by  their  parents  or  those 
competent,  appointed  by  parents;  (/)  moral  and  religious 
instruction  given  to  children  by  their  parents;  {g)  parents' 
department  library  in  every  school;  {h)  promoting  parents' 
parliaments  in  the  larger  cities  and  communities. 

7.  Mothers'  or  parents'  association.  This  is  some- 
times called  the  parent-teacher  association.  It  is  an  or- 
ganization of  mothers  or  parents  with  the  officers  and  teach- 
ers of  the  school  or  of  those  departments  in  which  the  par- 
ents are  interested.  It  does  not  require  that  the  parents 
shall  be   members   of   Sunday-school   classes,   although   its 


250  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

strength  will  come  from  those  parents  who  are  attending 
members  of  the  school. 

Such  associations  have  a  recognized  plan  as  a  cooperative 
influence  in  public-school  work.  They  are  invaluable  as  a 
factor  in  the  Sunday-school  field.  As  suggested,  such  asso- 
ciations may  be  formed  strictly  on  departmental  lines  or 
they  may  be  interdepartmental  organizations.  As  the  prob- 
lems of  the  younger  children  are  largely  the  same,  it  has 
been  found  advisable  to  organize  first  the  mothers  or  par- 
ents of  children  in  the  Cradle  Roll,  Beginners',  and  Pri- 
mary Departments  into  one  association;  and  later,  if  de- 
sirable, to  include  other  departments.  Two  associations — 
one  of  parents  of  pupils  in  the  Children's  Division  and  one 
of  parents  of  teen-age  young  people — would  be  a  more  nor- 
mal arrangement  because  of  the  diversity  of  interests.  For 
the  smaller  school  one  parents'  association  may  be  more 
desirable. 

The  association  should  be  officered  by  teachers  and  par- 
ents, and  the  committee  organization  should  provide  for 
program,  hospitality,  education,  membership,  and  service. 
It  has  been  found  better  to  meet  the  expenses  through 
monthly  offerings  than  by  membership  dues.  These  should 
be  sufficient  to  cover  refreshments  and  additions  to  the 
mothers'  library. 

As  to  time  for  the  meeting  a  weekly  afternoon  meeting 
of  mothers  for  a  mothers'  study  section  has  attractive  fea- 
tures: to  discuss  subjects  of  mutual  interest;  to  take  up 
some  book  for  special  study,  such  as  Child  Nature  and  Child 
Nurture,  St.  John.  Mothers  may  bring  their  sewing  and 
listen  while  one  of  the  number  reads  a  chapter  from  the 
book  under  study. 

For  the  monthly  meeting  it  is  customary  to  select  a  topic 
for  each  meeting,  this  to  be  presented  by  some  teacher, 
mother,  or  expert.  A  series  of  topics  may  be  planned  for  a 
year  ahead  and  printed,  together  with  a  text  for  the  meet- 
ing, and  setting  forth  other  features  as  well,  and  planning 
at  least  one  or  two  gatherings  to  which  the  fathers  are  to 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       251 

be  invited.  Among  such  topics  may  be  suggested  the  fol- 
lowing: "Confidence  Between  Children  and  Parents,"  "Sun- 
day Amusements,"  "Children's  Rights,"  "Home  Courtesy," 
"The  Religious  Training  of  Children,"  "How  May  We  Fos- 
ter the  Spirit  of  Service  in  the  Home?"  "Cultivating  Rever- 
ence in  the  Home,"  "How  Shall  I  Punish  My  Child?" 
"Ought  Mothers  to  Urge  Their  Children  to  Join  the 
Church?"  "The  Religion  of  a  Child,"  "Bedtime-Hour  and 
Cradle  Songs,"  and  "Books  in  the  Home  and  How  to  Use 
Them."  Musical  features,  a  good  reading,  a  game,  and 
simple  refreshments  will  complete  an  enjoyable  evening. 

Such  an  association  should  keep  in  touch  with  similar  or- 
ganizations, with  the  National  Congress  of  Mothers'  Clubs 
(Washington,  D.  C.)  and  should  have  some  local  and  other 
child-welfare  objective.  It  should  provide  pictures  for 
decoration  of  the  Sunday-school  rooms,  cooperate  in  the 
Christmas  and  other  special-day  plans  of  the  school,  and 
keep  in  circulation  among  the  mothers  an  effective  mothers' 
library  and  mothers'  magazines. 

From  such  a  mothers'  or  parents'  association  recruits 
should  come  for  the  Sunday  classes,  and  teachers  for  Sun- 
day-school classes  should  be  obtained.  The  Sunday-school 
officers  and  teachers  will  find  many  an  opportunity,  through 
direct  address  and  through  the  personal  contacts  of  the 
meetings,  to  bind  home  and  school  for  effective  cooperation 
in  the  better  religious  training  of  the  children. 

8.  The  Home  Extension  Department.  This  is  or- 
dinarily called  the  Home  Department.  Its  organization  and 
activities  are  suggested  under  Chapter  VII.  Some  tested 
plans  may  be  suggested  which  have  made  this  department 
a  home-reaching  and  school  and  church-attaching  ministry. 
The  Northfield  Sunday  School  has  a  training  class  for  Home 
Department  visitors  in  two  sections — "beginners"  and  "ad- 
vanced visitors."  At  the  Baptist  Temple  Sunday  School 
(Los  Angeles)  Home  Department  reception  the  platform 
was  decorated  with  white  and  purple  flowers  and  the  Home 
Department  colors.    Across  the  piano  the  Home  Department 


252  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

pennant  was  thrown.  Iris,  calla  lilies,  violets,  and  ferns 
were  used.  Some  of  the  circles  wore  their  badges  or  class 
colors.  Circle  5  wore  a  red  carnation  and  fern;  Circle  8, 
orange  and  green  Dutch  sunbonnets;  Circle  9  wore  purple 
tissue-paper  "nines"  on  the  right  arm.  The  Home  Depart- 
ment visitors  wore  tissue-paper  caps,  with  purple  bands 
across  the  front.  Each  circle  in  turn  made  a  special  con- 
tribution to  the  program.  The  Home  Department  of  the 
Richardson  Memorial  Church,  Philadelphia,  on  boosting  its 
membership  from  405  to  528,  brought  its  members  together 
for  a  social  rally,  listened  to  an  address,  chose  captains  for 
the  contesting  sides  (the  "whites"  and  the  "blues"),  and 
went  into  the  highways  and  byways  for  its  new  members. 

The  Home  Department  of  the  First  Methodist  Sunday 
School  of  Los  Angeles,  with  more  than  a  thousand  members, 
calls  together  its  visitors  once  a  quarter  to  talk  over  the 
work,  to  solve  problems,  and  to  coordinate  and  strengthen 
its  service.  It  holds  an  annual  social  and  an  annual  Home 
Department  picnic,  the  members  going  by  autos.  Another 
Home  Department  adopted  the  plan  of  a  monthly  meeting 
and  program  to  stir  interest,  beginning  its  campaign  with 
a  Sunday-evening  Home  Department  church  service.  Dur- 
ing the  year  the  monthly  features  included  an  address  on 
"Why  Study  the  Bible?"  by  a  prominent  business  man;  a 
stereopticon  lecture  on  the  Holy  Land;  a  debate  between 
Home  Department  and  adult-class  members  on  the  subject 
"Which  is  the  most  important  element  of  a  nation's  life — 
education  or  religion?"  and  an  all-church  Bible  class,  with 
four  hundred  present,  conducted  by  a  professor  in  a  church 
college. 

In  the  Broad  Street  Baptist  Sunday  School,  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  the  year's  record  of  a  department  of  126 
included  business  meetings  of  the  officers,  188  visits  to  sick 
and  shut-ins  made  by  the  welfare  committee,  eight  families 
helped  with  clothing  and  provisions,  nine  prayer  meetings 
held. 

The  Saint  John's  Sunday  School  of  Evansville,  Indiana, 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       253 

with  six  hundred  Home  Department  members,  promotes 
district  social  meetings  of  members  at  homes  of  the  visitors, 
a  quarterly  review  of  the  lessons  at  the  church,  an  annual 
supper,  sustained  for  one  month  a  native  worker  in  India, 
makes  souvenirs  for  the  Eastertime  school  celebration, 
cares  for  the  visitation  of  the  Cradle  Roll  Department,  and 
is  present  in  a  body  at  all  special-day  services  of  the  Sunday 
school.  The  superintendent  of  one  department  sends  a 
letter  of  welcome  to  each  new  member,  inclosing  material 
and  urging  personal  work  for  new  members.  The  live 
Home  Department  of  the  Warburton  Avenue  Baptist  Church 
of  Yonkers,  New  York,  makes  much  of  its  annual  social  as 
a  community  affair,  inviting  present  and  prospective  mem- 
bers and  enlisting  the  mayor  and  other  leaders  as  speakers. 

9.  The  teacher  and  the  home.  Parents  will  always 
receive  gratefully  the  visit  of  a  Sunday-school  teacher.  Few 
instances  can  be  recorded  to  the  contrary. 

A  good  plan  is  to  push  a  general  visitation  of  all  the 
homes  of  the  school  by  the  teachers  within  a  fixed  period, 
the  teachers  to  report  back  to  the  superintendent  or  com- 
mittee the  date  of  the  visit  and  any  facts  of  special  interest. 
This  plan  has  been  worked  with  large  success.  It  helps 
solve  the  absentee  problem,  corrects  addresses,  strengthens 
the  ties  between  teacher  and  home,  brings  in  new  members, 
and  unites  all  for  results.  Nothing  is  more  vital  than  the 
talk  between  teacher  and  parent  concerning  the  child;  and 
if  both  can  kneel  in  prayer  for  God's  blessing  upon  home 
and  pupil,  a  great  advance  has  been  made.  The  teacher's 
letters  to  both  parents  and  child  are  only  second  in  value. 
Helpful  books  may  be  given,  suggested,  or  lent.  Invitations 
to  join  a  parents'  class  may  be  extended.  The  mother  may 
be  invited  occasionally  to  a  class  social.  Family  worship 
may  be  suggested  and  encouraged  by  the  teacher  through 
the  daily-home-Bible-reading  plan. 

10.  The  pastor  and  the  home.  The  home  of  the  non- 
Christian  parent  can  most  easily  be  reached  by  the  pastor 
through  the  child.     One  pastor  received  three  hundred  new 


254  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

members  into  his  church  in  one  year  from  parents  of  chil- 
dren on  the  big  Cradle  Roll  list  of  that  church  by  specializ- 
ing on  the  visitation  of  those  homes.  Under  the  tactful 
guidance  by  that  pastor,  the  "little  child"  led  those  parents 
straight  to  Christ  and  the  church.  The  live  pastor  can  find 
results  beyond  his  thinking  in  striving  to  reach  non-Chris- 
tian parents.     A  few  additional  plans  may  be  suggested. 

(1)  The  pastor  should  carry  with  him,  in  his  calls  upon 
both  church  members  and  nonchurch  members,  cards  for 
enrollment  in  various  departments  of  the  Sunday  school, 
Cradle  Roll,  Home  Department,  Parents'  Department,  or 
parents'  club  or  association.  (2)  He  should  plan  for  three 
or  four  outstanding  parents'  days  during  the  year,  includ- 
ing, of  course.  Mother's  or  Parents'  Day  and  a  "home  ex- 
tension day,"  utilizing  these  occasions  to  enlist  for  family 
worship  and  membership  in  some  department  of  the  school. 
(3)  He  should  plan  a  special  visitation  of  all  church  homes 
by  his  official  board  and  others  to  win  every  church  member 
for  the  Family  Worship  League.  (4)  In  the  church  service 
he  should  plan  for  the  children  as  well  as  the  adults  through 
a  five-  or  ten-minute  talk  to  the  children.  Parents  will  be 
drawn  to  listen  to  these  talks.  Material  for  such  talks  can 
be  found  in  Little  Ten  Minutes,  Bagley;  The  Junior  Congre- 
gation, Farrar;  Talks  to  the  King's  Children,  Stall;  Chil- 
dren's Story-Sermons,  Kerr;  What  I  Tell  My  Junior  Con- 
gregation, Bennett;  Five-Minute  Sermons  to  Children,  Arm- 
strong; and  Finding  Out  Ood's  Secrets,  McKay.  (5)  He 
should  set  up  goals  for  the  attendance  of  fathers  and 
mothers  at  the  church  service,  through  announcement,  ad- 
vertisement, and  the  children. 

11.  The  superintendent  and  the  home.  The  superin- 
tendent's special  relation  to  the  home  is  suggested  in  prac- 
tically every  chapter  of  this  book.  His  best  work  for  the 
home  can  be  accomplished  in  stimulating  and  training 
workers  to  use  those  home  opportunities  and  contacts 
which  come  to  every  officer  and  teacher  of  his  school.  His 
own  personal  messages  to  pupils  and  parents  in  connection 


THE  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  THE  HOME       255 

with  special  school  occasions  are  helpful,  as  are  his  general 
appeal  to  the  home  and  community  through  the  press  and 
attractive  cards  and  posters.  If  he  can  find  time  for  per- 
sonal home  visitation  as  suggested  in  Chapter  XXIV  he 
will  have  forged  links  that  are  invaluable. 

Bibliography 

The  Christian  Home,  Faris. 

The  Parent  and  the  Child,  Cope. 

Religious  Education  in  the  Family,  Cope. 

Child  Nature  and  Child  Nurture,  St.  John. 

The  Parents'  Department  of  the  Sunday  School,  St.  John. 

Religious  Education  in  the  Home,  Folsom. 

How  to  Teach  Religion,  Betts. 

The  Training  of  Parents,  Abbott. 

Parents  and  Their  Children,  Moxcey. 

Topic  for  Special  Study 

The  element  of  religion  in  the  average  American  home. 

Topics  for  Class   Discussion 

1.  Name  five  special  methods  of  reaching  the  home. 

2.  What  is  the  best  plan  for  a  general  community  visita- 
tion? 

3.  How  can  we  enlist  parents  for  Sunday-school  attend- 
ance? 

4.  How  can  the  family  altar  be  best  introduced  into  the 
home? 

5.  How  may  we  get  parents  to  attend  church? 

6.  What  is  the  best  plan  for  interesting  the  non-Christian 
parent  in  the  school? 

7.  How  can   the  pastor  promote   Sunday-school   interest 
in  the  home? 

8.  Name  plans  for  parents'  conferences. 

9.  How  can  the  teacher  bind  home  and  school? 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  WEEK-DAY  PROGRAM 

In  this  chapter  we  shall  discuss  various  forms  of  the 
school's  activities  between  Sundays  and  particularly  the 
week-day  and  vacation  church  school,  which  is  becoming 
more  and  more  an  accepted  factor  in  rounding  out  the  edu- 
cational program  of  the  church. 

The  week-day  program  as  it  relates  to  the  recreational 
life  is  quite  fully  treated  in  Chapter  XV.  That  same  chap- 
ter deals  with  various  organizations  having  to  do  with 
the  religious,  recreational,  and  expressional  life  of  the 
pupil,  and  which  function  principally  during  the  week,  or 
whose  meetings  are  usually  held  between  Sundays.  The 
school's  expressional  life  in  the  field  of  social  service  will 
be  treated  in  Chapter  XX. 

1.  Parades.  The  Sunday-school  parade  has  become  an 
annual  feature  in  many  communities  in  both  America  and 
other  countries.  The  idea  had  its  origin,  probably,  in 
Brooklyn,  where  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
Brooklyn  Sunday  School  Union  will  soon  be  held.  More 
than  one  hundred  thousand  persons  in  twenty  divisions 
march  through  the  avenues  and  in  the  parks.  The  schools 
feature  floats,  banners,  Maypoles,  flags  of  all  nations,  and 
incidents  of  a  church  and  national  character.  The  oflicials 
of  the  city.  State,  and  Nation  review  the  parade.  Special 
anniversary  songs  are  prepared  year  by  year  and  sung  in 
the  schools  and  parks. 

In  another  city  the  parade  took  the  form  of  denomina- 
tional divisions,  each  division  having  its  own  color,  its 
own  pageant  and  missionary  features.  Awards  were  given 
to  the  schools  with  best  floats.     These  parades  call  the  at- 

256 


THE  WEEK-DAY  PROGRAM  257 

tention  of  the  community  to  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school, 
secure  publicity  for  the  cause,  interest  the  attendance  of 
the  pupils,  and  enlist  new  members. 

2.  Pageantry.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to 
this  in  Chapter  XV.  Lists  of  available  pageants  for  the 
community,  as  well  as  the  local  school,  may  be  obtained 
from  The  Church  School  (150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City) 
and  the  Missionary  Education  Movement  (150  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  York  City). 

3.  Missionary  dramatics.  Making  Missions  Real  is  the 
title  of  a  book  (The  Abingdon  Press)  which  presents  for 
teen-age  groups  missionary  work  in  Africa,  China,  India, 
and  other  countries,  as  well  as  Americanization,  and  empha- 
sizes medical  missions  and  stewardship.  In  Missionary 
Education  for  Home  and  School,  Diffendorfer,  there  are 
some  good  suggestions  for  this  new  field  of  visualization  of 
the  gospel  enterprise,  so  that  it  may  truly  educate  and 
broaden  the  sympathies  of  the  pupils.  In  The  Bankside 
Costume  Book  for  Children  (Saalfield  Publishing  Company, 
Akron,  Ohio)  are  many  illustrations  of  costumes,  covering 
Greek  and  Roman,  thirteenth  to  seventeenth  century,  and 
ecclesiastical  dress,  armor,  weapons,  etc.  The  missionary 
societies,  home  and  foreign,  can  also  supply  suggestions. 

4.  Exhibits.  (1)  Handwork.— In  Chapter  VIII  the  man- 
ual work  of  the  school  is  outlined.  At  least  annually,  and 
possibly  quarterly,  parents  and  the  community  should  be 
invited  to  inspect  the  graded  handwork  of  the  school — 
drawings,  lesson  expression,  map  modeling;  sand-table,  note- 
book and  scrapbook  work;  designing  for  notebook  covers, 
and  class  and  departmental  insignia.  This  should  be  ar- 
ranged, if  possible,  in  the  department  rooms,  in  classrooms, 
or  in  sections  of  the  main  room.  Where  there  is  a  daily 
vacation  Bible  school  or  a  week-day  school  of  the  church, 
the  exhibit  may  include  sewing,  woodwork,  burnt  wood, 
reed-work,  chair  caning,  and  toy  making.  Pupils  should 
explain  the  exhibit  to  visitors. 

(2)  Missionary  exhibits. — These  may  include  handwork 


258  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

material  of  a  missionary  character,  especially  material  fol- 
lowing the  familiar  models  referred  to  in  Chapter  VIII. 

The  writer's  school  had  two  special  exhibits  that  drew 
thousands  over  a  period  of  several  days.  One  of  these  was 
the  story  of  Palestine,  showing  the  wall  of  a  city,  a  typical 
gate  and  shops  and  attendants,  a  well,  a  model  of  Jerusa- 
lem, wedding  and  funeral  processions,  and  women  grind- 
ing the  corn.  On  another  occasion  classes  and  societies 
became  separately  responsible  for  parts  of  a  missionary 
exhibit.  The  home-mission  work  was  exhibited  through  a 
hut  in  the  Southland,  with  pickaninnies ;  an  Indian  tepee 
and  all  Indian  appurtenances,  with  boys  dressed  in  Indian 
dress;  a  model  of  the  school's  summer  home,  with  grounds 
and  water.  For.  the  foreign  work  the  missionary  fields  of 
India,  China,  Japan,  etc.,  were  represented  by  a  Japanese 
tea  garden,  Chinese  curios,  lanterns,  and  costumes,  and  an 
Indian  home  scene.  The  work  accomplished  by  the  classes 
and  societies  in  supporting  students  or  of  a  general  char- 
acter was  told  by  costumed  attendants.  Missionary  ad- 
dresses, reports,  tableaux,  and  the  stereopticon  deepened  the 
impressions.  A  host  of  folks  were  interested,  and  those  who 
took  part  were  made  more  enthusiastic  for  the  cause  of 
missions. 

5.  Week-day  religious  instruction.  Every  true  super- 
intendent will  admit  that  the  time  given  by  the  Sunday 
school  to  its  educational  task  is  inadequate,  and  that  it 
should  be  supplemented  by  some  regular  week-day  instruc- 
tion. The  necessity  for  some  workable  plan  that  will  more 
thoroughly  ground  the  young  in  religious  knowledge  and 
character  is  potent  to  workers  and  leaders.  Out  of  this 
need  has  come  extensive  experimentation  in  recent  years 
in  forms  of  week-day  schools  for  religious  instruction.  All 
this  experience,  with  suggestions  for  organization,  pro- 
grams, and  curriculum,  in  connection  with  these  schools, 
is  presented  in  The  Week-Day  Church  School,  by  H.  F.  Cope 
(George  H.  Doran  Company);  and  a  whole  new  series  of 
textbooks  for  the  use  of  such  schools  has  been  produced 


THE  WEEK-DAY  PROGRAM  259 

under  the  title  "Abingdon  Religious  Education  Texts" 
(The  Abingdon  Press). 

The  question  that  vitally  concerns  the  superintendent 
and  pastor  in  connection  with  these  schools  is  their  rela- 
tion to  the  present  Sunday-school  system.  Are  these  schools 
to  be  correlated  with  the  Sunday  school  as  we  know  it  or 
to  be  independent  of  it  and  controlled  by  community  lead- 
ers, who  may  not  be  in  full  sympathy  with  present-day 
Sunday-school  ideals  and  objectives?  Both  sides  of  the  case 
are  quite  fully  discussed  in  Dr.  Cope's  book. 

While  in  this  new  movement  there  are  many  strong  edu- 
cational leaders  who  stand  for  the  evangelical  position  and 
who  are  sincerely  anxious  to  extend  the  work  and  influence 
of  the  Sunday  school  through  more  thorough  week-day 
instruction,  there  are  also  those  who  are  inclined  to  belittle 
the  vast  work  of  the  Sunday  school  in  its  educational  and 
character-forming  service  through  all  these  years,  and  who 
would  be  glad  to  substitute  for  the  Sunday  school  a  system 
of  week-day  schools  of  religious  instruction,  under  the 
direction  of  community  leaders  and  without  emphasis  upon 
the  cardinal  beliefs  of  the  Christian  church. 

Having  said  this,  I  want  to  be  clearly  understood  as  ad- 
vocating the  extension  of  religious  instruction  in  a  large 
way  into  the  week,  under  such  direction  as  shall  coordinate 
it  with  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  and  shall  safeguard 
it  as  to  its  evangelical  teachings.  In  my  own  church  for 
several  years  past  we  have  had  such  a  week-day  school  di- 
rected by  one  of  the  teachers  of  my  Sunday  school,  who  is 
also  a  public-school  teacher,  the  school  being  one  of  a  series 
promoted  by  the  Protestant  Teachers'  Association  of  New 
York  City. 

Before  initiating  any  plan  for  week-day  instruction  a 
careful  study  of  all  plans  that  have  stood  the  test  of  time 
should  be  made  by  the  committee  on  religious  instruction 
of  the  local  church.  I  should  say,  too,  that  that  committee 
should  also  study  its  own  church  and  Sunday-school  pro- 
gram of  education  and  make  sure  that  the  educational  pro- 


260  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

grams  of  the  various  organizations  of  the  local  church  are 
so  coordinated  and  developed  that  the  child  has  a  unified 
and  not  a  confused  impression  of  the  educational  processes 
of  his  church. 

With  this  accomplished  the  committee  can,  in  the  light 
of  the  best  standards,  determine  what  is  now  missing  in 
the  educational  content  and  teaching  of  its  membership  and 
outline  its  course  for  week-day  instruction. 

It  will  be  impossible  here  to  indicate  in  detail  the  plans 
of  week-day  schools  which  have  been  pursued  at  many 
points.  The  cities  in  which  these  schools  have  been  carried 
on  include  Van  Wert,  Ohio;  Batavia,  Illinois;  Corydon, 
Iowa;  Rochester,  New  York;  Toledo,  Ohio;  Gary,  Indiana; 
Evanston,  Illinois;  Oak  Park,  Illinois;  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land; Grand  Rapids,  Michigan;  New  York  City;  and 
Elmira,  New  York.  The  writer  can  suggest  some  of  the 
general  characteristics  of  these  schools: 

(1)  Classification  of  schools. — This  may  be  indicated  by 
the  directing  responsible  body.  Schools  may  be  organized 
by: 

(a)   Individual  churches. 

(&)   Churches  in  cooperation: 

(1)  Local  church  federations. 

(2)  Local    church    group    organizations,    arranged    es- 
pecially for  this  purpose. 

(3)  Simple,  unorganized  cooperation  among  churches, 
(c)   Community  boards,  on  a  cooperative  basis. 

id)  Special  outside  agencies,  denominational  or  educa- 
tional. 

There  are  types  existing  representative  of  each  of  these 
forms. 

(2)  Organization  for  direction. — For  the  individual 
church  the  pastor  or  the  church  committee  on  religious 
instruction  should  be  the  responsible  agency;  for  the 
churches  in  cooperation  a  community  board  of  religious 
education,  made  up  of  the  pastors  and  one  or  two  laymen 
from  each  church   (which  may  include  women)   or  the  re- 


THE  WEEK-DAY  PROGRAM  261 

ligious  education  committee  of  the  church  federation, 
sometimes  in  cooperation  with  the  local  Sunday-school 
association. 

When  the  grouping  includes  church  and  community 
agencies,  the  organization  is  usually  termed  "the  com- 
munity council  of  religious  education."  This  may  be  repre- 
sentative of  the  churches  primarily  but  includes  also  those 
who  represent  other  community  interests. 

In  the  main  the  organizations  thus  far  found  effective 
have  represented  the  voice  of  the  churches. 

(3)  Relationship  to  public-school  authorities. — After  es- 
tablishing the  question  of  time  need  the  directing  groups 
come  into  conference  with  the  local  educational  board  or 
committee  and  endeavor  to  arrange  for  such  a  rearrange- 
ment of  the  school  schedule  as  will  permit  the  release  of 
the  children  and  young  people  for  several  week-day  periods. 
The  experience  has  been  that  the  school  authorities  have 
been  most  cordial  in  their  cooperation  with  those  who  have 
made  such  requests. 

(4)  Time. — This  has  varied  greatly.  From  one  to  two 
and  one  half  hours  weekly  is  the  range.  When  the  time 
has  been  given  out  of  the  school  schedule,  it  usually  con- 
sists of  two  periods  of  one  half  hour  each  or  a  little  more. 
In  one  instance,  upon  the  united  request  of  Protestants, 
Catholics,  and  Jews,  one  whole  day  weekly  was  arranged. 
Where  it  has  been  impossible  to  secure  time  out  of  the 
school  schedule,  as  at  Evanston,  the  time  may  be  from 
eight-fifteen  to  eight-forty-five  daily.  In  another  case  from 
four  or  four-fifteen  to  five,  several  days  a  week,  was  the 
period. 

(5)  Place. — In  a  few  instances  the  public-school  buildings 
have  been  used  with  pay  where  the  community  was  pre- 
dominantly Protestant.  Objection  is  found  to  this  plan 
in  most  communities,  and  the  near-by  churches  are  usually 
used  where  classroom  facilities  permit.  In  some  cases 
special  buildings  are  constructed. 

(6)  Staff. — This    usually    consists    of    Christian    public- 


262  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

school  teachers.  Occasionally  the  pastor  is  the  teacher. 
These  teachers  are  usually  paid,  sometimes  by  the  hour, 
sometimes  by  the  day.  The  school  authorities  often  arrange 
the  dismissal  of  pupils  for  religious  instruction  in  class 
relays,  so  that  it  is  possible  for  one  teacher  to  be  employed 
for  successive  periods  throughout  the  day.  Where  there  is 
more  than  one  school,  or  even  one  school  with  a  series  of 
classes,  a  supervisor  of  instruction  is  appointed  to  co- 
ordinate instruction,  arrange  programs  and  examinations, 
and  check  up  the  teaching  work.  Sometimes  helpers  to 
teachers   may  serve   without  pay. 

(7)  Support. — This  is  provided  through  an  annual  item 
in  the  church  budgets,  through  fees  from  parents,  and  by 
interested  people  in  the  community. 

(8)  Membership  and  attendance. — Where  the  public- 
school  authorities  work  in  close  cooperation  with  the  di- 
rectors, it  is  often  possible  to  secure  a  practically  unani- 
mous attendance  of  the  public-school  pupils  upon  the  week- 
day school.  And  in  several  instances  90  per  cent  of  the 
public-school  enrollment  has  been  in  such  attendance.  In 
one  city  10  per  cent  of  the  week-day  pupils  were  not  pre- 
viously attending  Sunday  school,  and  in  the  city  of  Toledo 
the  proportion  was  40  per  cent  out  of  a  total  of  2,800.  In 
communities  like  Evanston  and  Oak  Park  the  attendance 
on  the  week-day  schools  ran  from  five  hundred  to  one 
thousand. 

(9)  Program. — This  covers  worship,  instruction,  and  ex- 
pression. It  includes  Bible-drill  work,  hymn  and  Scripture 
memoriza,tion,  handwork,  notebook  work  and  decoration, 
training  for  church  membership,  and  graded  Bible  in- 
struction. In  one  school  the  children  were  taught  how  to 
pray,  and  on  a  Saturday  morning  the  children  participated 
in  a  complete  church  service,  in  which  they  had  major 
parts. 

(10)  Curriculum. — In  some  instances  this  is  correlated 
with  that  of  the  Sunday  school.  Usually  it  is  not  so  related. 
When  pupils   are   doing  geography  work  in  school,   Bible 


THE  WEEK-DAY  PROGRAM  263 

geography  is  of  course  taken  up  in  the  week-day  school. 
Where  history  is  tauglit,  Bible  history  is  emphasized. 

The  material  for  the  curriculum  is  drawn  from  a  num- 
ber of  sources,  including  the  "Abingdon  Religious  Educa- 
tion Texts,"  the  "Westminster"  and  "Keystone  Departmen- 
tal Graded  Series,"'  the  "International  Graded  Series,"  the 
"Christian  Nurture  Series"  (Episcopal),  the  "Beacon 
Course,"  "Scribner's  Graded  Series,"  "University  of  Chi- 
cago Constructive  Studies,"  and  the  "Evangelical  Lutheran 
Series." 

(11)  Credits. — Under  certain  conditions,  in  some  States, 
credits  are  given  for  attendance  and  work  in  the  week-day 
schools  and  sometimes  in  Sunday  schools.  Usually  credit 
is  omitted,  the  interest  being  sustained  by  the  character 
of  the  work  and  its  partial  recognition  by  the  school  au- 
thorities. While  the  attendance  upon  the  week-day  schools 
has  been  generally  from  the  first  six  grades,  high-school 
students  have  constituted  an  important  part  of  the  school 
attendance  in  certain  communities,  such  as  Oak  Park, 
which  registers  nearly  one  thousand  pupils  from  the  upper 
grades  and  high  school.  In  Colorado,  Indiana,  North  Da- 
kota, and  other  States  from  two  to  fourteen  credits  can  be 
earned  by  Bible  study  in  the  Sunday  school  under  certain 
conditions. 

(12)  General. — The  more  satisfactory  experiments  have 
been  those  in  which  the  church  leaders  have  entered  ac- 
tively into  the  plans  and  have  directed  and  supported  the 
week-day  school.  Where  this  is  done,  there  is  little  danger 
that  the  week-day  school  will  become  a  competitor  to  the 
Sunday  school.  Instead  it  should  be  an  augmenting  factor 
to  the  whole  work  of  the  school  and  tone  up  the  whole  pro- 
gram and  equipment. 

6.  Vacation  schools.  These  are  of  two  kinds:  the  re- 
ligious day  school  and  the  daily  vacation  Bible  school. 
Both  are  usually  conducted  during  the  summer  and  for 
half-  or  whole-day  sessions. 

(1)  Religious    day    schools. — These    began    operation    in 


264  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

1900  and  have  been  applied  to  smaller  communities,  while 
the  daily  vacation  Bible  school  has  been  used  chiefly  in  the 
larger  cities.  The  program  usually  extends  through  the 
morning  hours  and  includes  worship,  memory  work,  and 
Biblical  instruction.  These  schools  are  for  short-term 
periods  of  two  to  three  weeks,  meeting  six  days  a  week. 
They  include  all  grades.  In  The  Vacation  Religious  Day 
School,  Stafford  (The  Abingdon  Press),  will  be  found  a 
full  outline  of  program  and  curriculum  for  these  schools. 

(2)  Daily  vacation  Bihle  schools. — These  schools,  pro- 
moted by  the  Daily  Vacation  Bible  School  Association 
(Bible  House,  New  York  City),  are  increasingly  popular 
both  in  America  and  other  parts  of  the  world.  They  pro- 
vide for  a  six  weeks'  all-day  summer  school,  with  a  varied 
program,  which  combines  instruction  and  recreation  very 
delightfully.  The  mornings  are  given  to  the  school  session, 
the  afternoons  to  organized  play  and  hikes.  These  schools 
are  promoted  by  city  Sunday-school  associations  and  inde- 
pendently and  are  often  supervised  by  a  paid  director. 
Teachers,  too,  are  paid,  the  expenses  entering  into  the 
church  or  association  budget.  A  suggested  division  of  the 
time  is  one  fourth  to  training  in  the  devotional  life;  one 
fourth  to  the  lesson  period;  one  fourth  to  habit  talks,  pa- 
triotic talks,  and  exercises,  memory  drills,  calisthenics,  and 
supervised  games;  and  one  fourth  to  expressional  work,  in- 
cluding handwork  and  dramatization.  The  handwork  is 
varied  and  includes,  for  younger  children,  string  beads, 
raffia  chains,  and  paper  dolls;  for  juniors,  basketry,  ad- 
vanced raffia  work,  Bible  book-marking,  and  map  molding; 
for  older  boys,  hammock  knitting,  carpentry  work,  chair 
caning,  and  first  aid;  for  older  girls,  sewing  classes,  mak- 
ing garments  for  children's  hospitals  or  wards,  orphanages, 
nursing,  and  domestic  science. 

At  the  close  of  the  school  an  exhibit,  with  an  evening 
program  of  drill  work  and  songs,  will  attract  parents  and 
community.  Such  a  school  will  give  a  fine  start  for  the 
fall  program.     Additional  material,   manuals,   and   sugges- 


THE  WEEK-DAY  PROGRAM  265 

tions  will  be  furnished  by  the  denominational  Sunday- 
school  boards  and  the  Daily  Vacation  Bible  School  Associa- 
tion, Bible  House,  New  York  City.  The  Presbyterian  board 
has  standardized  these  schools  and  publishes  A  Handbook 
for  the  Daily  Vacation  Bible  School. 

Bibliography 

The  Week-Bay  Church  School,  Cope. 
The  Sunday  School  Between  Sundays,  Knapp. 
The  Vacation  Religious  Day  School,  Stafford. 
Religious  Instruction  and  the  Public  School,  Wenner, 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  religious  value  of  pageantry. 

2.  The  time  necessary  for  adequate  religious  instruction. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  are  some  accepted  forms  of  the  school's  week- 
day expressional  and  educational  life? 

2.  What  is  the  value  to  a  school  of  the  parade  plan? 

3.  What  is  the  place  of  religious  pageantry  and  plays  in 
a  school  program? 

4.  What  educational  value  is  there  to  pupil  and  home  in 
the  Sunday-school  exhibit? 

5.  State  the  purpose  of  a  week-day  school  of  religious 
education. 

6.  What  is  the  usual  plan  of  such  a  school? 

7.  What  is  the  plan  and  value  of  the  daily  vacation  Bible 
school? 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MISSIONS    IN    THE    SUNDAY    SCHOOL 

Missions  should  have  a  large  place  in  the  life  of  the 
Sunday  school.  We  are  in  the  flood  tide  of  a  great  mission- 
ary movement,  which  is  sweeping  the  church  onward  in 
an  effort  to  reach  for  Christ  the  entire  world  in  this  gen- 
eration. The  Sunday  school  is  a  vital  part  of  this  move- 
ment, because  the  Sunday  school  of  to-day  is  the  church  of 
to-morrow,  and  the  training  in  missionary  ideals  now  will 
result  in  missionary  giving  and  service  later.  Mission 
study  educates  the  pupil  in  sympathy  and  gives  him  an 
acquaintance  with  the  big  world  and  its  needs.  It  shows 
him  his  individual  responsibility  to  the  unenlightened  mil- 
lions. 

I.  Missionary  Organization 

1.  Suuday-scliool       missionary       organization.       The 

form  of  the  missionary  organization  of  the  Sunday  school 
will  be  determined  by  the  denominational  requirements. 
In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  the  requirements  are  a 
missionary  society,  with  officers,  who  constitute  the  local 
board  of  managers,  and  a  monthly  offering. 

2.  Missionary  policy  for  the  Sunday  school.  The 
missionary  policy  for  the  local  Sunday  school  should  in- 
clude the  following  features:  (1)  The  organization  of  the 
Sunday-school  missionary  society  or  the  appointment  of  a 
missionary  committee.  (2)  Missionary  instruction.  (3) 
Missions  included  in  Christian  worship.  (4)  Missionary 
library  and  literature.  (5)  Missionary  offering.  (6)  Re- 
cruits for  mission  fields.  The  superintendent  who  desires 
to  make  missions  a  live  factor  in  his  school  should  post 
himself  by  reading  A  Manual  of  Missionary  Methods  for 

266 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  267 

Sunday-School  Workers,  Trull.  He  should  present  the  mis- 
sionary opportunity  to  the  workers'  conference,  and  a 
definite  missionary  policy  to  the  school  should  be  under- 
taken. It  may  be  well  not  to  attempt  to  cover  too  much 
ground  at  the  start,  but  to  do  thoroughly  what  is  attempted. 

3.  The  missionary  committee.  The  president  of  the 
Sunday-school  missionary  society  may  be  the  chairman  of 
the  committee.  There  should  be  at  least  one  member  of 
the  committee  in  each  department.  Where  the  departments 
are  large,  this  department  member  may  act  as  the  chair- 
man of  a  department  missionary  committee. 

A  school  director  of  missionary  instruction,  who  may  be 
a  member  of  the  missionary  committee,  may  be  appointed 
to  guide  the  educational  work.  The  general  work  may  be 
subdivided,  one  member  being  responsible  for  publicity 
bulletins,  another  for  programs,  another  for  the  library, 
another  for  missionary  material  and  curios. 

4.  Director  of  missionary  instruction.  Acting  under 
the  missionary  committee,  the  director  will  plan  the  edu- 
cational work  and  material  to  fit  the  grades,  assist  depart- 
ment superintendents  and  department  committees  as  de- 
sired, organize  mission-study  classes,  and  assist  the  Teacher 
Training  Department  in  planning  the  missionary  course  of 
instruction  for  prospective  teachers.  The  director  can 
help  the  teachers  by  taking  five  minutes  of  the  weekly 
teachers'  meeting  to  suggest  missionary  illustrations  for 
the  regular  lessons. 

II.  Missionary  Instruction 

1.  Missionary  material.  As  related  to  general  equip- 
ment this  may  include  a  general  missionary  map  of  the 
world,  separate  maps  of  the  missionary  countries,  curio 
box,  globe,  or  large  map  indicating  missionary  stations  by 
red  crosses  or  tags,  charts,  quotations  from  missionaries  and 
leaders,  illustrated  missionary  programs,  bulletin  board, 
posters,  library,  material  for  notebook  work,  stereograph 
and    lantern    pictures,    pictures    of    missionaries,    Oriental 


268  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

pictures,  missionary  periodicals,  and  missionary  object  les- 
sons. These  may  be  obtained  from  the  missionary  or  Sun- 
day-school headquarters.  A  missionary-exhibit  room  is  de- 
sirable for  missionary  material,  museum  curios,  mission- 
ary notebooks,  and  handwork  and  pictures. 

The  White  Temple  Baptist  Sunday  School  of  Portland. 
Oregon,  has  a  mission-study  room,  in  which  all  such  ma- 
terial is  kept.  In  this  room  is  a  missionary  map  of  the 
world  and  of  special  countries  in  which  the  school  is  in- 
terested. Home  and  foreign  fields  alternate  in  an  exhibit 
of  material  on  shelves  in  sections  about  the  room.  On  a 
United  States  map  the  Baptist  Indian  mission  stations  are 
marked  in  red,  and  Indian  dolls  and  a  general  outfit  are 
shown.  In  the  China  section  there  are  typical  things 
from  China.  There  also  are  pictures  of  missionaries,  hos- 
pitals, schools,  and  material  to  arrest  the  eye.  Every  Sun- 
day some  class  is  brought  into  this  room  by  the  missionary 
director  and  a  graded  missionary  lesson  taught.  Each  class 
is  held  responsible  for  a  share  in  both  home  and  foreign 
missions. 

2.  Education  from  the  platform.  (1)  The  monthly 
missionary  program. — The  day  should  be  planned  for  well 
in  advance.  A  special  topic  may  be  assigned  to  classes 
under  a  yearly  schedule,  covering  alternately  the  foreign 
and  the  home  field.  Excellent  material  for  this  can  be 
found  in  the  program  suggested  above  and  in  those  pub- 
lished by  the  foreign  and  home  missionary  societies  in  their 
monthly  papers.  These  class  programs  may  be  presented 
with  costume  effect,  essay,  narration,  and  picture.  Inform 
the  school  in  advance  of  the  topic  to  be  presented. 

In  turn  the  great  missionary  heroes  may  be  made  the 
subject  of  the  program,  on  dates  nearest  their  birthdays  if 
possible.  Their  pictures  may  be  exhibited,  enlargements 
made  of  their  sayings,  and  the  story  of  their  life  and  work 
presented.  There  is  abundance  of  fascinating  material  in 
the  lives  of  such  heroic  men  as  Mackay  in  Uganda,  Paton 
in  the  New  Hebrides,  Eliot  and  the  Indians,  Carey  in  India, 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  269 

Livingstone  in  Africa,  Jason  Lee  in  the  Northwest,  and 
Verbeck  in  Japan. 

Have  a  missionary  map  talk  to  explain  where  the  money 
goes,  showing  missionary  stations,  giving  one  or  two  sa- 
lient facts  about  each  country,  and  indicating  the  kind  of 
work  done  most  largely  in  each — whether  hospital,  educa- 
tional, or  Bible  work.  A  class  representative  may  give  the 
facts  or  a  brief  story  concerning  each  country.  This  may 
be  done  as  a  preview  or  a  review  of  the  year's  program. 

A  letter  may  be  read  from  the  school's  missionary,  from 
a  student  supported  by  school  funds,  or  from  a  hospital 
helped.  A  Curio  or  object,  such  as  chopsticks,  postage 
stamp,  rice  bowl,  or  incense  stick,  may  be  used  as  the 
point  of  contact  for  a  stirring  missionary  story  or  ad- 
dress. 

Day  stereopticon  illustrations  of  a  particular  country's 
missionary  work  may  be  procured  from  the  denominational 
boards  and  will  actualize  missions  in  a  striking  way. 

A  short  drill  on  interesting  facts  in  connection  with  each, 
country  presented  will  be  helpful. 

The  review  of  a  library  book  may  be  given  by  a  pupil  or 
teacher,  and  the  missionary  facts  introduced  in  connection 
with  it.  A  pupil  dressed  to  represent  a  native  of  a  mission 
field  will  tell  the  story  of  her  life.  Such  costumes  can  be 
very  simply  made,  using  kimonos,  curtains,  or  cheesecloth. 
Designs  may  be  secured  from  pictures  in  missionary  litera- 
ture. 

Where  schools  have  department  rooms,  the  missionary 
program  should  be  graded.  If  China  is  the  subject  for  the 
monthly  exercises,  the  material  should  be  organized  to 
make  the  right  appeal  to  each  age  group.  Mission-study 
classes  for  the  department  should  be  encouraged,  with  the 
textbook  to  fit  the  age.  Pupils  like  to  make  books  of  illus- 
trated stories  of  missionary  heroes  or  missionary  hymns. 

(2)  Every  Sunday. — The  missionary  meaning  of  the  cur- 
rent lesson  may  be  given  by  the  superintendent  in  his  re- 
view.     Missionary    stereopticon    slides    may    be    exhibited 


270  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

during  the  ten  minutes  preceding  the  school  session.  A 
missionary  hymn  may  be  sung,  and  the  missionary  remem- 
bered in  prayer.  Five  Missionary  Minutes,  Trull,  suggests 
the  plan  for  a  missionary  story  or  fact  for  each  Sunday. 

A  missionary  director  may,  by  previous  arrangement, 
go  to  a  class  each  Sunday  and  teach  there  a  special  mis- 
sionary lesson.  Have  each  class  on  successive  Sundays 
present  through  a  representative  a  missionary  fact  or  in- 
cident dug  out  from  the  secular  or  religious  press. 

3.  Special  training  material  and  plans.  In  the 
primary  grades  an  object  lesson,  a  picture,  a  simple  story, 
may  be  used.  The  Japanese  and  other  picture  cards  and 
object  sets,  "Homes  Around  the  World,"  and  "Young  Amer- 
icans"  (Ferris),  are  helpful  primary  picture  stories. 

In  the  Junior  Department  such  stories  as  those  of  Shel- 
don Jackson  and  Paton;  Under  Many  Flags,  Cronk;  and 
Stay-at-Home  Journeys,  Osborne,  may  be  made  fascinating 
as  a  basis  for  the  development  of  missionary  interest, 
through  their  study  by  classes  at  the  home  of  the  teacher, 
or  a  review  of  the  books  in  a  junior  missionary  program, 
or  as  supplemental  work  in  the  department. 

In  the  Intermediate  Department  Uganda's  White  Man  of 
Work  (the  story  of  Mackay),  Making  Life  Count,  Foster; 
and  A  Nohle  Army,  Hubbard,  will  capture  the  interest  of 
the  biography-loving,   hero-worshiping   intermediates. 

For  the  seniors  and  young  people,  Servants  of  the  King, 
Speer,  will  heighten  their  life  ideals  and  inspire  for  service. 
World  Friendship,  Murray;  Playing  Square  With  To-Mor- 
row,  Eastman;  The  Moslem  World,  Zwemer;  The  Why  and 
How  of  Foreign  Missions,  Brown;  The  Kingdom  and  the 
Nati07is,  North;  or  From  Survey  to  Service,  Douglass,  will 
form  the  basis  for  arousing  adult  interest. 

In  some  schools  where  the  uniform  lessons  are  used  there 
are  classes  in  the  departments  which  take  up  these  books 
for  a  limited  time  instead  of  the  regular  lesson. 

A  mission-study  class  may  be  organized  in  the  school,  in 
which  class  the  members  have  special  missionary  work  as 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  271 

an  objective,  taking  up  such  a  book  as  The  Why  and  How 
of  Foreign  Missions,  Brown.  The  Mission  Study  Class 
Leader,  Sailer,  will  be  helpful  to  the  teacher.  There  is  a 
call  for  missionary  leaders  for  the  different  organizations 
of  the  church  and  school  and  for  the  different  departments 
of  the  school.  Such  a  class  should  prepare  in  methods  of 
work,  as  well  as  in  general  missionary  information.  Mis- 
sionary notebooks  are  made  up  by  pupils  taking  a  special 
character  or  country  and  illustrating  it  with  maps,  Tissot 
pictures,  and  other  pictures.  If  a  country,  the  material 
may  include  maps,  missionary  stations,  population,  re- 
ligions, missionary  heroes,  and  missionary  work  being  done, 
A  missionary  hymn  such  as  "From  Greenland's  Icy  Moun- 
tains" may  be  decorated  and  illustrated. 

4.  Missionary  pageants,  plays,  tableaux,  "movies," 
and  stereopticon.  As  outlined  in  previous  chapters  a 
whole  new  field  of  missionary  education  material  has  been 
made  available  in  the  last  ten  years  in  the  line  of  mission- 
ary pageants,  plays,  tableaux,  motion  pictures,  and  the 
stereopticon.  In  connection  with  the  great  campaign  for 
missionary  funds  material  for  teaching  through  the  eye 
gate  has  been  plentifully  developed.  Young  people  can  be 
aroused  to  great  missionary  enthusiasm  through  this  appeal 
to  action  and  visualization. 

To  list  the  material  now  available  in  all  these  directions 
would  be  a  large  task.  Lists  of  such  material,  for  purchase 
or  for  lending,  can  be  obtained  from  the  denominational 
mission  and  Sunday-school  boards  and  the  Missionary  Edu- 
cation Movement   (150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City). 

5.  Missionary  exhibit.  In  Chapter  XVII  will  be  found 
suggestions  as  to  a  school's  missionary  exhibit  which  will 
interest  classes,   departments,  and  homes. 

A  combination  plan  of  exhibit  and  play  was  shown  in  a 
"Missionary  Journey  Through  Africa,"  planned  by  Delavan 
L.  Pierson,  in  the  Presbyterian  Sunday  School  of  Upper 
Montclair,  New  Jersey.  For  several  weeks  the  classes 
prepared  through  a  ten-minute  period  each  Sunday  for  a 


272  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

study  of  The  Tribe  of  Zamhe,  Trull.  At  the  close  of  each 
lesson  the  superintendent  gave  a  demonstration  through  a 
geography  or  language  or  other  lesson.  Each  class  pre- 
pared an  African  exhibit  or  scrapbooks,  with  maps  and 
pictures  of  Africa  and  of  models  of  African  villages.  The 
"journey"  came  on  a  week-night.  There  were  songs,  de- 
votional exercises,  a  map  talk  on  Africa,  showing  the  prog- 
ress in  winning  Africa  to  Christ,  and,  through  a  light  con- 
trivance, showing  each  Presbyterian  mission  in  Africa. 
The  platform  represented  an  African  scene,  with  palms,  an 
African  hut  built  by  the  boys,  a  missionary  tent,  and  an 
African  kettle.  African  curios  had  been  obtained  from  the 
mission  board — a  war  drum,  spears  and  battle  axes,  grass 
and  bark  cloth,  a  witch  doctor's  headdress,  rattle,  and 
medicine;  necklaces  and  bracelets.  Old  and  new  methods 
of  medical  treatment  were  shown  in  one  scene;  a  slave 
raid;  a  missionary  school.  Each  class  brought  a  special 
offering  for  Africa. 

6.  Graded  lessons  and  missions.  The  graded  lessons 
in  the  junior,  intermediate,  and  senior  courses  make  definite 
provision  for  missions  as  a  part  of  the  courses.  These  les- 
sons will  be  a  fine  contribution  to  missionary  education  in 
the  Sunday  school.  They  may  be  supplemented  by  the 
other  agencies  suggested  in  this  chapter  in  order  to  round 
out  a  missionary  interest  that  shall  mold  the  generation 
now  with  us  for  an  intelligent  part  in  the  missionary  effort 
of  the  strategic  years  just  before  us. 

7.  Teacher  training  and  missions.  In  the  specializa- 
tion work  of  the  teacher-training  class  missions  must  find 
a  place  through  the  inclusion  of  missionary  material  in 
the  required  lessons,  as  is  done  with  some  denominations, 
or  through  the  use  of  books  that  cover  the  ground  of  in- 
struction in  mission  teaching,  such  as  A  Manual  of  Mis- 
sionary Methods  for  Sunday  School  Workers,  Trull;  Train- 
ing World  Christians,  Loveland;  and  The  Mission  Study 
Glass  Leader,  Sailer.  Such  preparation  should  include  some 
knowledge  of  missions  in  general,  and  the  denominational 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  273 

missions  in  particular;  the  knowledge  of  missionary  ma- 
terial, how  to  apply  lesson  material  to  stages  of  progress ; 
the  aim,  obligation,  and  opportunity  of  missions;  the  mis- 
sionary significance  of  the  Bible,  the  methods  of  creating 
missionary  atmosphere  in  department  and  school,  the  per- 
sonal relation  of  every  pupil  to  the  growing  Kingdom, 
and  the  obligation  of  Christian  stewardship.  In  the  weekly 
workers'  meetings  these  items  should  be  a  part  of  the  nor- 
mal drill  for  teachers  who  have  not  had  the  benefit  of 
special  instruction. 

8.  The  adult  class  and  missions.  A  missionary  ob- 
jective, home  and  foreign,  is  essential  to  save  adult  classes 
from  self-centering  and  to  conserve  the  mighty  force  of 
the  adult  movement  for  highest  Kingdom  purposes.  The 
courses  for  class  discussion  have  been  suggested.  These 
may  be  considered  by  the  report  method,  in  which  members 
of  the  class  present  topics  from  a  book  or  resumes  of  chap- 
ters for  discussion;  or  the  textbook  method,  by  which  each 
member  has  his  own  textbook,  a  chapter  being  discussed 
weekly.  This  course  should,  however,  be  limited  as  to 
time  and  be  tied  up  to  some  Bible  foundation,  so  that  the 
class  will  keep  the  Book  at  the  center  of  its  life  and  as  the 
basis  and  the  warrant  of  missions.  Some  adult  classes 
will  enjoy  a  midweek  meeting  for  discussion  of  a  mission 
study  book  or  topic. 

The  class  missionary  committee  will  keep  the  class  in 
touch  with  some  objectives  on  the  home  or  foreign  field, 
supported  by  the  class  contributions,  will  provide  such 
missionary  items  as  will  keep  the  class  keyed  up  to  its 
missionary  obligation  and  opportunity  and  will  promote  a 
class  missionary  library,  or  will  cooperate  with  the  mission- 
ary committees  in  securing  an  adult  section  of  the  school 
missionary  library. 

9.  The  missionary  library.  The  quantity  and  quality 
of  up-to-date  books  on  missions  for  young  and  old  have  kept 
pace  with  the  missionary  movement  and  have  greatly  fos- 
tered that  movement.    The  library  and  missionary  commit- 


274  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

tees  should  cooperate  in  the  selection  of  books  from  lists  of 
books  furnished  by  the  missionary  departments  of  the  de- 
nominational Sunday-school  boards.  There  should  be 
graded  lists  for  departmental  use.  The  department  books, 
when  selected,  should  be  listed  as  such,  and  the  lists 
posted,  or  duplicated  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  each  pupil. 
It  will  help  the  distribution  if  each  department  has  its  own 
books,  the  inspection  and  circulation  of  which  may  be  di- 
rected by  the  department  member  of  the  missionary  com- 
mittee. 

Plans  for  introducing  the  books  may  include:  (1)  The 
platform  review  of  a  special  book  by  a  member  of  the 
library  or  missionary  committee.  (2)  Outlining  the  story 
on  the  platform  to  the  point  of  absorbing  interest,  then 
suggesting  the  book.  (3)  Library  posters  illustrating  viv- 
idly the  book.  (4)  Posting  the  new  book  on  the  library 
bulletin,  with  a  brief  sketch  of  contents.  (5)  List  of  new 
books  to  teachers  with  request  as  to  special  mention  to 
pupils.  (6)  A  library  social,  with  brief  papers  by  pupils 
on  the  books  read,  with  scaled  rewards  for  the  best  com- 
positions. (7)  Have  a  librarian  who  is  enthusiastic  on 
missionary  literature  and  make  him  a  member  of  your 
missionary  committee.  (8)  Suggest  missionary  books  from 
the  platform  which  will  illustrate  the  missionary  or  current 
lessons.  (9)  Have  a  class  reading  circle  to  meet  at  the 
homes  of  teacher  or  members,  chapters  being  read  and  dis- 
cussed. (10)  A  missionary  ladder  of  five  to  ten  rungs 
in  each  department  beyond  the  primary,  one  rung  for  each 
book  in  the  required  reading  for  department  to  be  a  "top 
notcher." 

For  teachers  a  fine  foundation  for  missionary  interest 
will  be  laid  in  such  books  as  Where  the  Book  Speaks,  Mc- 
Lean; Evangelization  of  the  World  in  This  Generation, 
Mott;  The  Missionary  and  His  Critics,  Barton;  The  Mis- 
sionary Enterprise,  Bliss;  The  Decisive  Hour  of  Christian 
Missions,  Mott. 

Several  copies  of  the  leading  missionary  magazines,  such 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  275 

as  the  Missionary  Review  of  the  World  and  the  denomina- 
tional missionary  papers,  should  be  subscribed  for  from  the 
school  funds  for  use  by  the  missionary  committee  and  in 
the  reading  room,  or  for  circulation  among  the  classes. 

10.  The  missionary  bulletin  boardo  There  should  be 
a  bulletin  board  for  the  school  and  also  a  department  bul- 
letin board  for  department  missionary  items.  This  bulletin 
will  be  in  charge  of  a  member  of  the  missionary  commit- 
tee, who  should  have  some  artistic  faculty,  so  that  items 
may  appear  in  attractive  and  striking  form.  On  the  board 
may  be  placed  newspaper  clippings  of  recent  news  from 
missionary  lands,  names  of  new  missionary  library  books, 
pictures  of  missionary  subjects,  to  be  changed  weekly,  or  a 
brief,  interesting  missionary  story.  Missionary  Sunday  will 
be  advertised  strikingly,  showing  topics  and  special  at- 
tractions. 

11.  Suggested  methods  to  interest.  (1)  Hold  a  week- 
evening  with  juniors  and  intermediates  with  a  picturesque 
program.  Pupils  with  flags  of  different  nationalities  will 
each  tell  a 'story  of  the  country.  A  paper  may  be  read  on 
some  missionary  hero.  A  missionary  incident  may  be 
presented  in  action  or  in  tableau.  The  platform  may  be 
decorated  to  represent  the  country  portrayed. 

(2)  Distribute  missionary  papers  on  Missionary  Sunday. 

(3)  Give  an  evening  stereopticon  lecture  on  Alaska,  Porto 
Rico,  or  Persia,  introducing  missionary  items. 

(4)  Display  missionary  mottoes,  posters,  and  quotations, 
framed  and  changed  frequently. 

(5)  Provide  a  missionary  with  a  camera  and  films,  ask- 
ing him  to  send  home  the  films,  from  which  pictures  may 
be  made  for  the  bulletin  board,  and  lantern  slides  for  the 
stereopticon. 

(6)  Have  primary  and  junior  children  dress  dolls  in 
foreign  attire,  or  group  missionary  pictures  on  gray  board. 

(7)  Have  a  place  in  the  church  calendar  and  the  church 
paper  for  missionary  items. 

(8)  Place  upon  the  walls  pictures  of  missionary  subjects 


276  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

and  photographs  of  former  pupils  who  are  now  mission- 
aries; of  supported  students,  suitably  framed,  with  a  sug- 
gestive blank  place  for  picture  of  the  next  missionary  from 
school. 

(9)  Interest  pupils  in  contributing  lesson  or  other  pic- 
ture cards  and  magazines,  to  be  boxed  and  sent  to  foreign 
mission  stations  for  use  in  attracting  attendance  to  mission 
Sunday  schools.  This  may  be  done  through  the  Surplus 
Material  Department,  World's  Sunday  School  Association 
(216  Metropolitan  Tower,  New  York  City). 

(10)  Suggest  to  classes  the  packing  of  barrels  for  hos- 
pitals, orphanages,  and  the  frontier. 

(11)  Encourage  the  sending  of  a  missionary  from  the 
school  ranks,  such  missionary  to  be  supported  by  the  school. 

(12)  Send  a  delegate  to  a  missionary  summer  institute 
to  make  a  report  to  the  school. 

(13)  Aim  to  have  some  point  of  interested  attachment 
and  correspondence  in  every  missionary  country. 

(14)  Use  missionary  stereograph  pictures,  keeping  a  set 
in  circulation  among  the  classes. 

(15)  Have  a  missionary  debate  or  series  of  debates  for 
your  seniors. 

(16)  Organize  your  classes  or  departments  into  "Light 
Bearers,"  "Junior  Missionary  Bands,"  "King's  Heralds," 
"Home  Guards,"  and  "Dorcas"  or  "Queen  Esther  Circles." 
Apply  to  the  home  and  foreign  board  offices  for  plans. 

(17)  Publish  and  distribute  in  card  or  booklet  form  the 
sketches  of  missionaries,  with  some  striking  missionary 
facts.     Pictures  will  add  to  attractiveness  of  these. 

(18)  Interest  the  boys  in  making  and  collecting  material 
for  the  missionary  museum. 

(19)  Have  the  Beginners'  or  Primary  Department  con- 
tribute beginners'  material,  including  teachers'  books,  to 
foreign  Sunday  schools.  Explanations  in  the  language  of  the 
children  will  be  printed  by  the  missionaries  on  the  reverse 
of  the  picture  material. 

(20)  Have  the  "Dorcas"  and  other  circles  take  up  mis- 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  277 

sionary  topics  for  presentation  by  members  at  their  weekly 
or  monthly  meetings — such  topics  as  "Frontier  Work," 
"Spanish-American  Work,"  "Colored  Schools,"  "Mormon 
Work,"  "The  Top  Knots,"  and  "Children  of  the  Sunrise 
Kingdom." 

(21)  Ask  foreign  missionaries  to  send  picture  postcards 
for  sale  or  mounting, 

(22)  Interest  the  older  pupils  in  drawing,  for  school  use, 
maps  of  mission  countries;  making  missionary  mottoes, 
charts,  and  pictures. 

(23)  Use  the  blackboard  for  missionary  items. 

(24)  One  school  used  a  "talent"  plan,  distributing  to 
each  pupil  a  piece  of  money  to  multiply  for  the  missionary 
offering.  From  thirty  dollars  the  offering  grew  to  three 
hundred  dollars.  Popcorn,  bulbs,  fagots,  and  calico  be- 
came the  objects  of  investment.  One  class,  from  an  in- 
vestment of  twenty-five  cents,  produced  thirteen  dollars  in 
six  weeks. 

(25)  Have  a  missionary  fair,  each  booth  with  a  national 
flag,  the  pupil  in  costume,  and  articles  specially  illustrative 
of  the  field. 

III.  The  Missionary  Investment  of  the  Sunday  School 

1.  Giving  money.  Giving  is  the  expression  of  the  mis- 
sionary impression.  It  is  the  pupil's  personal  "go"  where 
he  cannot  physically  be  on  the  field.  It  is  his  contribution 
for  a  substitute.  The  following  plan  as  to  systematic 
Sunday-school  giving  is  recommended: 

(a)  That  every  pupil  give  to  all  objects  in  which  he 
should  be  trained  to  be  interested,  and  in  relative  propor- 
tion to  their  importance. 

(b)  That  some  duplex  system  of  finances  be  adopted 
(1)  for  the  Sunday-school  treasury,  to  be  used  for  such 
purposes  as  the  school  may  designate;  (2)  for  missionary 
and  other  benevolences. 

(c)  (1)   That  this  system  be  used  every  week,  and    (2) 


278  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

that  a  definite  pledge  on  the  weekly  basis  be  sought  for 
each  of  the  foregoing  objects  from  every  pupil  in  the  school. 

(d)  That  the  adoption  of  this  plan  should  not  eliminate 
but  encourage  additional  offerings  on  special  days,  such  as 
Christmas,  Easter,  Children's  Day,  etc. 

(e)  (1)  That  each  Sunday  school  give  at  least  as  much 
for  missionary  and  other  benevolences  as  is  expended  for 
local  support,  and  (2)  that  each  Sunday  school  keep  in 
correspondence  with  its  missionary  boards  to  ascertain 
their  needs. 

Schools  that  are  already  supported  by  the  church  and 
give  all  their  offerings  to  missions  and  other  benevolences 
should  give  the  pupil  opportunity,  either  through  the 
Sunday  school  or  through  church  channels,  to  give  to  the 
support  of  the  church. 

With  the  younger  children  it  is  desirable  to  get  the  con- 
sent of  the  parents  to  the  weekly  pledge. 

Many  schools  make  an  annual  Easter  offering  for  mis- 
sions, using  the  service  supplied  by  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions.  This  offering,  however,  may  be  used  as  supple- 
mental to  the  regular  offerings,  which  should  be  made  the 
basis  of  the  training  of  the  pupils  in  systematic  giving. 

2.  Stewardship  and  tithing.  The  Methodist  Centenary 
and  other  denominational  campaigns  have  brought  afresh 
to  the  church  the  question  of  Christian  stewardship  and 
the  principles  of  tithing  both  as  to  money  and  as  to  time, 
which  is  money.  A  rich  literature  upon  both  subjects  has 
been  produced  and  may  be  obtained  from  the  mission  and 
Sunday-school  boards. 

It  should  be  recognized  that  if  the  church  is  to  incor- 
porate into  its  present  and  future  life  the  principle  of  God's 
ownership  of  our  means  and  life,  education  must  begin  in 
the  Sunday  school.  Stewardship  programs  especially  for 
introduction  in  the  Sunday  school  are  now  available. 

3.  Prayer  for  missions.  This  supports  the  missionary 
in  his  lonely  struggle  against  the  terrible  pressure  of  a 
different  civilization,  local  indifference,  the  occasional  fail- 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  279 

ure  of  converts,  the  wear  of  an  enervating  climate,  and  the 
pull  of  the  homeland.  Prayer  is  the  buoyant  atmosphere 
that  keeps  the  soul  moving  on  steadily  to  its  goal. 

We  should  pray  in  unison  with  Christ  for  the  lost,  disin- 
herited children  of  our  Father.  "Other  sheep  I  have  which 
are  not  of  this  fold;  them  also  I  must  bring."  "That  they 
all  may  be  one."  "Thy  kingdom  come."  The  superinten- 
dent should  pray  in  every  session  for  missions  and  mission- 
aries, for  the  school  missionary,  and  for  those  especially 
supported  by  the  school.  He  should  encourage  teachers  and 
pupils  to  unite  with  him  daily  in  prayer  for  these  objects. 

We  must  train  the  pupils  to  pray  as  well  as  to  pay  and  to 
know  that  there  can  be  no  real  virtue  in  our  gift  unless 
laid  upon  the  altar  of  prayer.  One  New  York  school  has  a 
monthly  prayer  calendar  that  it  gives  to  each  pupil.  This 
calendar  gives  the  list  of  special  missionary  objects  for 
prayer  and  some  strong  missionary  quotations. 

In  recent  years  leagues  of  intercession  have  been  formed 
to  pray  daily  for  the  cause  of  missions.  Ascertain  the  plan 
of  your  board  and  enlist  the  pupils  as  members. 

4.   The  giving  of  life.     Mr.  Trumbull  has  well  said: 

The  day  is  coming  when  the  Sunday  school  that  has  not 
sent  some  of  its  members  to  the  foreign  field  as  mission- 
aries, while  at  the  same  time  numbering  still  others  in  its 
membership  as  volunteers  pledged  to  go,  will  be  ashamed 
and  self-condemned. 

In  a  Buffalo  Sunday  school,  as  the  result  of  the  interest 
of  a  praying  teacher,  twelve  of  the  young  men  of  the  class 
have,  within  one  year,  volunteered  for  Christian  service. 

A  superintendent  can  assist  young  people  to  a  decision 
for  a  life  service  by  the  life  stories  of  heroic  souls;  by  sug- 
gesting books  and  leaflets  or  pamphlets,  such  as  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  "Life  Decision"  series,  which  may  inspire  to  decision; 
by  praying  publicly  that  some  worker  may  go  forth  from 
the  school ;  by  an  appeal  for  volunteers  on  Missionary  De- 
cision Day;  by  seeking  an  interview  with  young  people  of 


280  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

promise  in  order  to  lay  opportunities  before  them;  and  by 
a  conference  with  teachers  as  to  possible  missionary  ma- 
terial in  the  class. 

One  representative  of  the  school  in  the  missionary  field 
will  do  more  to  naturalize  missions  and  inspire  a  mission- 
ary atmosphere  in  the  school  than  a  year  of  ordinary  effort. 

Bibliography 

Training  World  Christians,  Loveland. 
Missionary  Education  in  Home  and  School,  Diffendorfer. 
A    Manual    of   Missionary   Methods   for    Sunday    School 
Workers,  Trull. 
Making  Missions  Real,  Stowell. 

Topic   for  Special   Study 

The  relation  of  the  Sunday  school  to  missionary  work. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  Name  chief  missionary  motives. 

2.  What  missionary  organization  is  required  in  Method- 
ist schools? 

3.  What  should  be  included  in  a  school's  missionary 
policy? 

4.  What  is  the  service  of  the  missionary  committee  and 
director? 

5.  Name  essential  missionary  material. 

6.  Suggest  methods  for  varying  the  missionary  program. 

7.  Name  one  book  available  for  study  in  each  department 
above  the  primary, 

8.  How  can  tableaux,  "movies,"  and  the  stereoptlcon  be 
utilized  in  teaching  missions? 

9.  What  is  the  place  of  missions  in  the  graded  lessons? 

10.  Suggest  a  few  methods  for  inspiring  missionary  in- 
terest in  the  school. 

11.  What  plans  will  make  an  effective  missionary  library? 

12.  What  is  the  ideal  plan  in  missionary  giving? 

13.  What  is  the  place  of  prayer  as  a  factor  in  missions? 


CHAPTER  XIX 
TEMPERANCE  AND  PURITY  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

1.  Temperance.  Temperance  teaching  in  the  Sunday 
school  and  the  public  school  in  the  past  is  largely  respon- 
sible for  the  prohibition  victory  of  to-day.  Continued  agi- 
tation and  education  are  essential  if  we  are  to  secure  pro- 
hibition enforcement  and  extend  the  victory  to  other  lands. 
World-wide  prohibition  in  our  generation  must  be  the  goal. 

(1)  The  Sunday  school  and  prohihition. — "Public  opinion 
made  the  law.  Nothing  but  public  opinion  can  enforce  it. 
The  temperance  task  of  to-morrow  is  to  mold  and  hold 
public  opinion."  Sunday-school  workers  have  but  to  read 
the  daily  press  to  note  the  relentless  effort  of  the  liquor 
interests  to  bring  about  a  reaction  of  public  sentiment  in 
favor  of  the  relaxation  of  prohibition  in  the  interest  of 
beer  and  wine.  The  effort  has  the  tacit  and  often  outspoken 
support  of  those  who  had  formed  the  drinking  habit  and 
of  those  who  resent  what  they  esteem  an  encroachment  of 
personal  liberty.  The  sentiment  of  the  foreign-born  in 
America  is  strongly  for  the  repeal  of  the  law.  "Booze  has 
not  even  asked  for  an  armistice."  If  we  fail  in  holding  the 
line,  it  will  be  because  we  have  underestimated  the  pur- 
poses and  strategy  of  the  enemy  and  have  not  continued 
the  training  of  a  generation  to  know,  hate,  and  fight  the 
evil. 

This  educational  process  may  be  conducted  in  such  ways 
as  these: 

(a)  Occasionally  distribute  leaflet  literature  obtained 
from  the  church  temperance  board,  showing  the  facts  and 
contrasting  figures  as  to  the  actual  working  of  prohibition 
in  communities  and  States,  in  its  effects  upon  arrests, 
courts,  asylums,  savings  banks,  prisons,  and  the  community 

281 


282  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

as  a  whole  in  its  business  and  moral  interests.  The  Board 
of  Temperance,  Prohibition,  and  Public  Morals  (Washing- 
ton, D.  C.)  is  headquarters  for  this  information  for  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Anti-Saloon  League 
everywhere  has  this  information. 

(&)  Exhibit  striking  posters  and  charts  (made  by  pupils 
or  produced  from  headquarters)  which  will  show  vividly 
the  progress  of  prohibition.  The  best  of  these  should  re- 
main upon  the  school  walls. 

(c)  Call  for  a  newspaper-clipping  week  (a  contest  be- 
tween classes,  it  may  be)  to  discover  the  publicity  given 
to  the  efforts  of  bootleggers  and  others  to  break  the  law  in 
the  interest  of  profit. 

id)  At  least  quarterly  set  aside  from  fifteen  minutes  to 
half  an  hour  for  a  stirring  meeting  on  prohibition  enforce- 
ment. Arrange  for  a  good  speaker,  an  exhibit  of  posters, 
and  brief  statements  by  pupils  as  to  the  benefits  of  pro- 
hibition. 

(e)  Have  a  printed  temperance  service  of  worship  for 
occasional  use.  This  may  include  rousing  songs,  a  flag 
salute,  quotations  from  prominent  men.  Scripture  temper- 
ance selections,  and  some  strong  temperance  facts.  Deco- 
rate the  room  and  platform  with  national  colors. 

(/)  Appoint  a  temperance  and  purity  committee  or  a 
temperance  and  moral-reform  committee.  This  committee 
should  cooperate  with  the  superintendent  in  these  plans 
and  keep  on  the  outlook  for  prohibition  lawbreaking,  co- 
operating with  similar  committees  in  the  community  for 
pressure  upon  the  authorities  for  law  enforcement. 

(g)  Use  the  bulletin  board  for  occasional  striking  pub- 
licity items. 

(h)  Use  stereopticon  slides  and  charts  showing  scientific 
temperance  facts  and  the  effects  of  alcohol,  cigarettes,  and 
drugs  upon  the  blood  and  vital  organs. 

(i)  Use  Lincoln  Sunday  as  a  temperance  Sunday.  His 
picture  should  be  draped  with  a  flag.  Quotations  from  his 
addresses  and  facts  from  his  life  should  be  given.     The  ex- 


TEMPERANCE  AND  PURITY  IN  THE  SCHOOL    283 

ample  of  other  Presidents  may  be  indicated.  Quotations 
from  national  leaders  on  temperance  should  be  recited  by 
pupils  selected  for  the  purpose. 

(2)  World's  Temperance  Sunday. — America's  direct  re- 
sponsft)ility  for  bringing  about  world-wide  prohibition 
makes  necessary  the  education  of  the  Sunday  school  to 
temperance  facts  and  news  in  other  countries.  This  should 
be  done  for  the  sake  of  these  countries  and  for  the  sake 
of  America  because  of  the  unfavorable  reaction  of  liquor- 
drinking  nations  upon  us.  To  advance  is  to  preserve  our 
hard-fought  liberty. 

We  know  that  the  liquor  interests,  shut  out  from  Amer- 
ica, are  seeking  a  foothold,  wherever  possible,  in  other 
lands.  They  are  a  menace  there  and  a  menace  to  us.  The 
battle  must  therefore  be  carried  to  Japan,  to  China,  every- 
where. 

World  Temperance  Sunday  should  be  planned  for  well  in 
advance  because  of  its  important  bearing  upon  our  new 
duty.     Some  suggested  plans  follow: 

(a)  Have  a  character  program,  with  great  world-temper- 
ance leaders  as  subjects:  Prances  E.  Willard,  Lady  Somer- 
set, Francis  Murphy,  and  John  B.  Gough.  Pupils  may  read 
brief  papers  on  their  work.  Quotations  from  their  ad- 
dresses may  be  given,  and  their  pictures  can  be  unveiled. 
The  temperance  movement  as  related  to  these  workers  may 
be  reviewed  and  brought  down  to  date. 

(&)  Have  a  world-map  Sunday,  showing  vividly  prohi- 
bition areas  and  the  progress  of  temperance  in  each  coun- 
try. 

(c)  Have  a  world-responsibility  Sunday,  with  classes 
designated  to  show  Christian  responsibility  to  end  the  curse 
of  liquor  around  the  world.  Each  class  may  take  a  field. 
For  instance,  David  A.  Day,  a  missionary  in  West  Africa, 
may  be  quoted: 

I  wonder  the  Africans  do  not  shoot  with  poisoned  arrows 
every  white  man  that  lands  on  their  coast;  for  they  have 
brought  them  rum  and  are  still  bringing  it;  and  in  a  few 


284  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

decades  more,  if  the  rum  traffic  continues,  there  will  be 
nothing  left  in  Africa  for  God  to  save. 

A  missionary  from  China  may  be  quoted: 

It  makes  one  sick  at  heart  to  think  of  the  drunk€nness 
and  vice  that  are  constantly  before  the  eyes  of  this  heathen 
people.  One  doctor  said  drink  killed  more  people  than 
anything  else,  even  more  than  cholera. 

From  Persia,  this: 

Christianity  and  drunkenness  increase  with  a  correspond- 
ing ratio  in  Mohammedan  countries,  notably  in  Persia.  It 
has  become  a  standing  reproach  to  the  gospel  of  our  Lord 
that  a  drunken  Mussulman  is  disowned  by  his  fellows  and 
turned  over  to  the  Christians  as  being  one  of  them.  When 
a  Mohammedan  is  seen  intoxicated,  the  finger  of  scorn  is 
pointed  at  him  by  his  fellows  with  the  cry:  "He  has  left 
Mohammed  and  gone  over  to  Jesus." 

(d)  Have  a  world  white-ribbon  Sunday.  Young  people 
of  the  Intermediate  and  Senior  Departments  should  be 
dressed  in  the  costumes  of  each  country,  each  with  the 
national  flag  of  the  country.  They  should  be  grouped  about 
"America,"  dressed  as  the  Goddess  of  Liberty.  In  turn 
each  will  tell  of  the  temperance  work  of  his  country. 
"America"  will  sing  "Christ  for  the  World  I  Sing."  Then 
two  white-robed  little  girls  will  weave  a  bolt  of  white  ribbon 
in  and  out  among  those  standing,  binding  them  together 
while  they  all  sing  the  "White  Ribbon  Rally  Song":  "Bind 
a  ribbon  round  the  nations — the  nations  of  our  God" 
(Fillmore  Brothers). 

(e)  On  World's  Temperance  Sunday,  supplementing  the 
lesson  in  the  classes,  a  well-qualified  officer  or  teacher  may 
give  a  temperance  lesson  from  the  platform,  using  black- 
board, charts,  posters,  or  object  lessons.  The  songs  should 
have  a  martial  ring,  such  as  "The  Son  of  God  Goes  Forth 
to  War";  "Courage,  Brothers,  Do  Not  Stumble";  "Sound 
the  Battle  Cry";  "Stand  Up  for  Jesus";  "We  March,  We 
March  to  Victory";  and  "Mine  Eyes  Have  Seen  the  Glory." 


TEMPERANCE  AND  PURITY  IN  THE  SCHOOL    285 

(3)  Co7nbating  the  cigarette  evil. — The  Sunday  school 
must  array  itself  against  the  cigarette  for  the  sake  of  the 
boy  and  to  save  the  nation  from  a  degeneracy  that  will 
surely  result  if  the  heart  and  nerve  strength  of  the  youth 
of  to-day  is  sapped  by  the  deadly  cigarette  habit.  The  evil 
must  be  met  by  pledge,  education,  agitation,  poster,  and 
legislation.  Boys  and  girls  should  be  amply  protected  by 
State  laws,  and  the  committee  on  temperance  should  see 
that  this  law  is  respected  in  the  community. 

Leaflet  literature  should  be  distributed  occasionally  in 
the  school  among  the  classes  from  the  junior  up.  Profes- 
sor William  A.  McKeever,  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College,  Manhattan,  Kansas,  has  produced  a  number  of  such 
leaflets,  which  teach  by  facts  and  as  the  result  of  a  study  of 
thousands  of  boys.  The  International  Sunday  School  As- 
sociation pledge  reads: 

In  the  cause  of  freedom  from  enslaving  habits,  for  the 
sake  of  strength  and  purity  of  character,  I  pledge  myself 
to  abstain  from  the  use  of  cigarettes  and  to  do  all  I  can  to 
end  the  cigarette  habit  among  others. 

Charts  should  be  exhibited  indicating  the  effects  of  cigar- 
ette smoking  upon  the  heart  and  physique. 

These  pledges  should  be  distributed  for  signature,  and 
the  facts  presented  in  connection  with  temperance  Sunday. 

2.  Purity  in  the  Sunday  school.  (1)  The  Sunday 
schooVs  responsihility. — The  failure  of  the  home  and  of 
the  public  school  adequately  to  instruct  in  sex  hygiene 
points  to  the  duty  of  the  Sunday  school  to  undertake  this 
delicate  but  necessary  task.  The  missing  link,  the  dynamic, 
to  make  instruction  effective  in  character  and  conduct  is 
the  spiritual  motive  acting  upon  and  through  the  will  to 
hold  life's  powers  unstained.  No  final  solution  of  the 
problem  of  impurity  can  be  hoped  for  without  a  combina- 
tion of  instruction  with  a  spiritual  experience  and  responsi- 
bility, with  the  personal  influence  of  parent,  Sunday-school 
teacher,  or  pastor,  and  an  atmosphere  in  which  purposes 


286  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

can  be  formed  and  character  molded.  Just  here  the  Sunday 
school  finds  its  mission  of  cooperation  with  the  pupil  and 
home  for  best  results. 

This  is  especially  the  case  because:  (a)  The  Sunday 
school  may  succeed  in  holding  the  pupils  through  the  years 
of  early  and  middle  adolescence,  while  the  public  school 
loses  a  large  proportion  just  at  the  close  of  the  grammar 
grades,  when  the  pupils  need  sex  guidance.  {!))  The  more 
intimate  relation  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher  as  friend  and 
example  furnishes  a  choice  opportunity  for  sex  instruction. 

(c)  The  close  relation  of  the  Sunday  school  and  the  Home 
Departmental  parents'  gatherings,  the  growth  of  mothers' 
associations  and  parents'  classes  in  the  Sunday  school, 
makes  possible  the  opportunity  for  frank  talks  and  confer- 
ence as  to  cooperation  between  Sunday  school  and  home 
in    the    communication    and    guidance    of    sex    knowledge. 

(d)  The  atmosphere  of  the  Sunday-school  session  and  the 
spiritual  impression  of  the  lesson  and  service  can  be 
counted  upon  as  a   toning  influence  in  moral  upbuilding. 

(e)  The  school's  week-day  program  of  athletics  and  social 
and  organized  activities  provides  an  opportunity  of  devel- 
oping physical  self-control. 

(2)  The  purity  committee. — This  committee  should  con- 
sist of  mature  persons  possessing  good  sense,  tact,  and  deli- 
cacy. It  may  be  combined  in  a  committee  on  temperance 
and  purity  or  a  committee  on  temperance  and  moral 
reform. 

(3)  The  purity  lihrary. — A  list  of  books  for  parents  and 
teachers,  for  young  boys,  older  boys,  young  men,  girls, 
young  women  and  men,  will  be  found  in  Sunday-School  Of- 
ficers' Manual,  Brown.  Several  books  for  each  group  should 
be  purchased  by  the  committee  as  a  special  library  under 
its  own  direction.  Some  of  these  books  should  be  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  teachers  and,  after  conference  with  the 
parent,  should,  by  teacher  or  parent,  be  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  pupil  for  reading.  A  Boston  school  sent  a  list  of 
appropriate  books,  with  a  carefully  prepared  letter,  to  the 


TEMPERANCE  AND  PURITY  IN  THE  SCHOOL    287 

school  parents,  advising  them  that  the  books  were  to  be  lent 
to  parents  as  called  for. 

(4)  Parents'  meetings. — A  judiciously  worded  letter  will 
bring  a  goodly  number  of  parents  for  a  meeting  to  confer 
as  to  plans  of  cooperation  in .  sex  instruction  and  to  ex- 
amine books  that  might  be  suggested  for  different  age 
periods.  Parents  of  younger  children  should  be  urged  to 
tell  the  child  first  the  story  of  the  origin  of  life.  Such  a 
book  as  Blossom  Babies,  Chadwick,  will  be  welcomed  by 
any  mother  in  helping  to  tell  the  story  simply  in  satisfy- 
ing the  natural  curiosity  of  the  child. 

The  father's  duty  to  inform  his  own  boys  should  be 
urged.  Where  parents  especially  desire  it,  or  where, 
through  the  parents'  neglect,  the  child  might  suffer  through 
Ignorance,  the  duty  of  the  teacher  or  committee  member 
is  clear.     The  child  must  be  protected. 

(5)  Meetings  for  young  men  and  young  women. — Sepa- 
rate meetings  of  young  men  and  young  women  are  emi- 
nently desirable,  to  be  addressed  by  a  Christian  physician 
upon  the  relation  of  the  sex  function  to  character,  health, 
and  future  happiness,  and  the  danger  of  misuse  or  abuse 
of  these  functions.  Such  talks,  if  frank  and  informing, 
without  entering  into  morbid  details,  do  untold  good. 
Parents  and  teachers  should  be  invited.  Books  appropriate 
for  these  ages  may  be  placed  on  exhibit  and  loaned. 

(6)  Meetings  of  workers. — The  workers'  conference  may 
discuss  best  plans  for  the  conduct  of  the  work  of  safeguard- 
ing the  children  and  young  people.  No  more  practical  sub- 
ject could  be  presented.  Always  there  will  be  opposition 
from  some,  who  fail  to  see  that  all  their  teaching  may  be 
imperiled  through  an  unnecessary  ignorance  of  physical 
fundamentals. 

(7)  Employment  safeguarding. — The  committee  should 
make  careful  inquiry  concerning  the  character  of  the  em- 
ployment surroundings  of  its  young  people,  especially 
girls.  The  confidence  of  these  girls  should  be  secured,  so 
that  information  may  be  obtained.     In  one  class  in  one 


288  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Sunday  school  it  was  found  that  four  of  the  girls,  largely 
because  of  ignorance,  were  in  danger  of  a  moral  breakdown 
because  of  their  employment.  The  girls  had  not  told  their 
mothers,  but  a  wise  teacher  discovered  and  corrected  mat- 
ters in  time. 

(8)  Pledges. — Boys,  especially  in  the  teen  years,  are 
usually  ready  to  stand  by  the  highest  ideals  of  purity.  The 
white-cross  pledge  may  be  used  with  good  results.    It  reads: 

I  promise  by  the  help  of  God:  (a)  to  uphold  the  law 
of  purity  as  equally  binding  upon  men  and  women;  (&) 
to  treat  all  women  with  respect  and  endeavor  to  protect 
them  from  wrong  and  degradation;  (c)  to  endeavor  to 
put  down  all  indecent  language  and  coarse  jests;  (d)  to 
endeavor  to  spread  these  principles  among  my  companions 
and  friends  and  to  try  to  help  my  younger  brothers;  (e) 
to  use  every  possible  means  to  fulfill  the  command  "Keep 
thyself  pure." 

Purity  pledges  may  be  obtained  from  the  Westminster 
Press  (Philadelphia)  and  from  Sunday-school  supply 
houses. 

(9)  Purity  meetings. — Occasionally  in  a  religious  meet- 
ing of  the  young  people  the  subject  of  clean  living,  clean 
thinking,  and  clean  speaking  can  be  impressed. 

(10)  Indecent  literature. — The  committee  should  make 
the  round  of  stationery  and  other  stores  of  the  neighbor- 
hood to  see  that  indecent  post  cards,  pictures,  and  litera- 
ture are  eliminated  from  the  show  windows  and  from  sale. 

(11)  Big  brothers  and  sisters. — The  adult  classes  should 
be  urged  to  be  big  brothers  and  sisters  to  the  young  people 
of  the  Sunday  school  and  neighborhood  in  protecting  them 
from  unclean  literature  and  speech,  from  vice,  and  from 
vicious  motion  pictures  and  shows. 

(12)  Gymnasium  talks. — The  "gym"  or  athletic  organiza- 
tion of  the  school  may  furnish  a.  fine  opportunity  for  pre- 
senting the  relation  of  purity  and  good  habits  to  physical 
development  and  endurance.  The  lives  of  many  athletes 
furnish  good  material  for  such  talks. 


TEMPERANCE  AND  PURITY  IN  THE  SCHOOL    28& 

(13)  Through  the  lesson. — The  lesson  occasionally  fur- 
nishes a  choice  channel  for  a  heart-to-heart  talk  on  these 
things,  which  are,  after  all,  very  close  to  the  lives  of  our 
pupils.  From  the  teachers'  lips  these  words  will  have 
great  value. 

(14)  Naturalness. — It  is  by  all  means  best  to  give  in- 
formation in  its  normal  relation  to  the  development  of 
the  body  and  character,  rather  than  to  give  it  unnatural 
or  undue  emphasis.  A  Brooklyn  pastor,  with  the  consent  of 
parents,  provides  a  practical  talk  by  a  Christian  physician 
as  a  regular  part  of  the  instruction  of  the  confirmation 
class  because  of  its  important  relation  to  the  development 
of  the  Christian  life. 

The  committee  should  not  seek  to  awaken  and  develop 
sex  consciousness  and  curiosity,  but  should  seek  rather 
to  awaken  the  sense  of  reverence  and  responsibility. 

Bibliography 

Alcohol  and  the  Human  Body,  Horsley-Sturge.  * 

The  Parent's  Guide  in  Sex  Problems,  Kendall. 
Education  of  the  Young  in  Sex  Hygiene,  Wilson. 

Topics  for  Special  Study 

1.  The  Sunday  school  and  prohibition. 

2.  Purity  education  in  the  Sunday  school  as  a  duty. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  How  can  the  Sunday  school  cooperate  in  temperance 
enforcement? 

2.  State  some  plans  for  World's  Temperance  Sunday. 

3.  What  can  the  school  do  in  matter  of  the  cigarette 
evil? 

4.  What  is  the  school's  responsibility  as  to  purity  edu- 
cation? 

5.  How  can  the  school  cooperate  with  parents  in  purity 
education? 

6.  What  is  the  teacher's  duty? 


290  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

7.  What  direct  school  methods  can  be  employed  to  help 
the  pupil? 

8.  How  can  the  men  help  in  community  safeguarding? 

9.  What  should  be  the  school's  general  attitude  toward 
the  question? 


CHAPTER  XX 
SOCIAL    SERVICE    IN    THE    SUNDAY    SCHOOL 

Social  service  is  the  application  of  Christ's  life  and  teach- 
ing to  community  uplift  and  betterment.  Such  service  will 
take  on  as  many  forms  as  there  are  community  conditions 
and  needs. 

The  Sunday  school  is  primarily  the  agency  through  which 
children  are  to  be  trained  for  this  service,  although  we  do 
not  overlook  the  many  excellent  social-service  features  of 
the  public  school.  The  organization  and  all-age  compre- 
hensiveness of  the  Sunday  school  are  adapted  for  such 
service.  Social  service  furnishes  a  channel  at  hand  for  the 
expression  of  the  Bible  teaching.  It  is  the  principle  of 
the  good  Samaritan  broadly  applied.  Children  and  young 
people,  if  rightly  directed,  are  eager  for  such  service. 

1.  The  social-service  committee.  (1)  This  commit- 
tee should  represent  the  different  departments  of  the  school 
and  should  consist  of  pupils  as  well  as  teachers.  The  adult 
classes  particularly  should  have  representation. 

(2)  Every  member  of  the  committee  should  be  required 
to  read  at  least  two  books:  The  Church  and  the  Community, 
Diffendorfer;  and  The  Social  Creed  of  the  Churches,  Ward. 
The  Church  a  Community  Force,  Tippy;  and  Graded  Social 
Service  for  the  Sunday  School,  Hutchins,  should  also  be 
read.  As  fast  as  possible  the  committee  should  accumulate 
a  library  of  best  social-service  books  (see  list  in  Chapter 
XXIV  of  Sunday  School  Officers  Manual,  Brown). 

(3)  A  social-service  class  in  the  Sunday  school  may  be 
made  a  means  of  training  for  members  of  the  committee 
and  for  all  interested  in  community  problems.  One  such 
Sunday-school  class  in  a  city  included  as  instructors  the 
chief  of  police,  several  judges,  a  jail  matron,  the  president 
of  a  labor  union,  and  the  president  of  a  woman's  club. 

291 


292  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

(4)  The  committee  should  cooperate  in  a  plan  for  a  com- 
munity survey,  give  due  publicity  to  this  plan,  and  direct 
departments  and  classes  in  a  comprehensive  scheme  of 
social-service  activities.  It  will  seek  so  to  coordinate  these 
activities  as  to  avoid  overlapping  and  waste. 

2.  Coiumumty  survey.  The  little  pamphlet  What 
Every  Church  Should  Know  About  Its  Community  (Fed- 
eral Council  of  Churches,  New  York  City)  suggests  the 
details  of  a  proper  city  or  country  survey  and  of  charts 
that  may  be  prepared  to  tabulate  the  information  obtained. 
If  this  is  a  survey  in  connection  with  other  churches,  each 
church  will  be  assigned  its  section  for  survey.  The  general 
features  to  be  covered  in  such  a  social  service  survey  are: 

(1)  Population. — Total  nationalities  and  those  dominat- 
ing (increase  or  decrease). 

(2)  Church  life. — Number  of  churches,  membership,  at- 
tendance, Sunday-school  membership  and  attendance,  other 
Christian  neighborhood  organizations,  social-service  ac- 
tivities. 

(3)  Education. — Population  of  school  age,  attendance, 
medical  inspection,  manual  training  and  domestic  science, 
vocational  guidance,  facilities  for  popular  education  (such 
as  libraries,  lecture  and  extension  courses,  social  centers, 
and  reading  circles). 

(4)  Recreation. — Organized  recreations,  such  as  play- 
grounds, school  athletics,  such  as  those  under  religious 
agencies;  boys'  and  girls'  clubs;  athletic,  social,  or  recrea- 
tional clubs;  amusements,  private  or  public,  their  charac- 
ter; provision  for  social  life  of  boarding  young  people. 

(5)  Health. — Death  rate,  infant  mortality,  health  officers 
and  functions,  annual  health-board  budget  and  how  ex- 
pended, education  as  to  disease  prevention,  cooperation  of 
churches  in  this,  hospitals,  dispensaries,  visiting  nurses, 
convalescents,  contagion  in  occupations. 

(6)  Housing. — Slums,  sanitation,  defects  in  buildings, 
number  in  room,  ownership,  governing  laws  and  enforce- 
ment, boarding  houses,  furnished  rooms  and  occupants. 


SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL     293 

(7)  Labor. — Number,  ages,  establishments,  length  of 
working  day,  night  work,  seven-day  work,  wages,  laws  as 
to  health  and  safety  and  their  enforcement,  unemployed, 
trades  unions. 

(8)  Immigrants. — Location,  housing,  and  living  condi- 
tions, community  contact  through  night  schools,  social  cen- 
ters,  school  buildings,  churches. 

(9)  Charities. — Agencies,  cooperative  work,  church  re- 
lief, cooperation  between  churches  and  other  agencies,  city, 
county,  and  State  provision  for  the  poor,  defective,  and  de- 
pendents;  and  church  cooperation  with  these  institutions. 

(10)  Delinquents. — Juvenile  courts,  probation  officers, 
separate  confinement  of  prisoners,  provision  for  paroled 
adults.  Conditions  of  jail,  police  station,  and  lock-up,  em- 
ployment  of  prisoners,   discharged   prisoners. 

(11)  Public  morals. — Responsibility,  gambling  houses, 
houses  of  prostitution,  regulations  as  to  these,  regulations 
as  to  picture  shows,  theaters,  public  dance  halls,  drugs. 

(12)  Civics. — Community  government,  departments  and 
functions,  cooperating  club  or  league,  church  cooperation 
with  officials  in  an  organized  way, 

3.  Publicity.  The  facts  obtained  should  be  classified 
for  the  information  of  church  and  school  along  the  lines 
suggested  in  the  pamphlet  referred  to.  Under  such  sub- 
jects as  labor,  education,  housing,  a  minimum  standard 
may  be  worked  out  and  outlined,  so  that  the  local  de- 
ficiency may  be  apparent. 

4.  Result  of  survey.  If  the  survey  has  been  conducted 
in  cooperation  with  other  churches  and  community  organ- 
izations, a  conference  of  representatives  of  these  will  assign 
to  the  local  church  and  Sunday  school  its  portion  of  the 
general  task  of  remedying  conditions.  The  social-service 
committee  will  organize  the  local  cooperation  with  this 
general  program. 

5.  Assignment  of  service.  With  such  a  knowledge  of 
the  community  and  local  church  needs  the  committee  will 
list  the  work  needed  to  be  accomplished  by  the  school  and 


294  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

assign  to  the  classes  or  departments  that  service  coming 
within  the  ability  of  each. 

6.  Graded  social  service.  Suggestions  for  such  service 
follow: 

(1)  Beginners  and  primary  pujnls. — Give  toys  to  a 
nursery.  Support  a  child's"  cot  in  a  hospital.  Give  old  or 
new  dolls  to  a  children's  ward  in  a  hospital  or  to  a  nursery. 
Give  flowers  or  fruit  to  a  hospital. 

(2)  Juniors. — Collect  stamps  for  boys  in  a  "home." 
Make  games,  puzzles,  pictures,  or  albums  for  an  orphanage; 
raise  pop-corn  or  gather  nuts  for  a  home  for  crippled  chil- 
dren. Make  candy  for  children  in  a  settlement.  Make 
surprise  bags  and  slippers  for  hospitals.  Dress  dolls  for 
an  orphanage.  Grow  flowers  for  a  flower  mission.  Join 
the  Junior  Red  Cross.  Protect  animals.  Show  courtesies 
to  old  people.  Plant  half  an  ac^  of  ground,  the  profits 
to  be  used  in  social-service  plans. 

(3)  Intermediates. — Remail  story  papers  to  some  insti- 
tution. Help  in  games  at  social  centers.  Give  an  outing  to 
a  group  of  children.  Provide  a  week  in  the  country  for  a 
boy  or  girl.  Make  jelly  or  grape  juice  for  some  "home." 
Collect  magazines  for  almshouses,  hospitals,  and  homes. 
Watch  for  refuse  in  vacant  lots,  poor  conditions  of  streets, 
and  report  to  the  committee.  Dress  dolls  for  Christmas  for 
mission  fields  through  World's  Sunday  School  Association 
(216  Metropolitan  Tower,  New  York  City). 

(4)  Seniors  and  young  people. — Entertain  at  the  home 
church  a  settlement  group.  Tutor  backward  children. 
Take  a  group  of  foreign  children  on  Saturday  to  points  of 
interest.  Provide  pleasant  Sunday  afternoons  for  those 
living  in  boarding  houses.  Read  or  sing  for  an  old  people's 
home.  Furnish  auto  rides  for  shut-ins  and  convalescents. 
Form  contacts  with  group  factory  girls.  Provide  pure  milk 
for  babies.  Visit  a  hospital  with  flowers.  Teach  in  a 
mission  school.  Provide  programs  for  homes  and  orphan- 
ages. Make  candy  for  Christmas  at  a  children's  home. 
Provide  a  "story  hour"  for  a  children's  home. 


SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL     295 

(5)  Adults. — Cooperate  for  good  roads.  Plan  a  travelers- 
aid  booth.  Provide  a  boys'  clubroom,  with  bath,  shower, 
or  plunge.  Be  active  in  securing  playgrounds  and  equip- 
ment, clean  motion  pictures,  tennis  courts.  Visit  prisons 
and  hospitals  with  stereopticon  and  chorus,  using  illus- 
trated gospel  songs.  Join  in  a  Fourth  of  July  citizenship 
or  first-voters  day,  with  chorus.  Promote  a  class  for  the 
Americanization  of  foreigners.  A  women's  class  may  look 
after  traveling  young  women  at  a  railroad  station.  Pro- 
vide a  community  reading  and  game  room.  Be  big  brothers 
and  big  sisters  to  first  offenders  at  court.  Cooperate  with 
good-will  and  welfare  agencies.  Discover  boys  in  the  com- 
munity who  are  handicapped  in  getting  an  adequate  edu- 
cation and  help  them  in  finding  employment  opportunities. 
Assist  in  factory  meetings  and  in  cottage  prayer  meetings. 
Send  magazines  to  fire-house  employees.  Visit  these  em- 
ployees and  employees  in  other  community  buildings  in  a 
social  way  and  invite  them  to  class  functions.  Offer  class 
services  to  municipal  authorities  for  every  good  movement 
projected. 

7.  Community-house  activities.  The  movement  in  the 
direction  of  community  activities  and  the  community  house 
has  received  a  decided  impulse  since  the  war  and  as  an  out- 
growth of  the  war.  The  Catholic  community  house  has 
been  established  in  many  centers  and  promotes  classes  in 
homemaking  and  telegraphy  and  organizes  Scout  troops, 
girls'  clubs,  and  dramatic  leagues.  Through  its  social- 
service  bureau  medical  aid,  dentistry,  and  nursing  are 
taught.  The  Community  Service,  Inc.  (New  York  City), 
makes  suggestions  as  to  community  activities  on  non-sec- 
tarian lines. 

In  one  community  an  old  store  was  converted  into  a  com- 
munity center  for  the  local  church.  The  basement  was 
used  for  a  "gym";  the  store  for  reading  and  game  room  ; 
the  second  floor  for  classrooms,  play  rooms  for  children, 
and   meeting  rooms  for  the   organizations. 

Next  to  an  old  country  church  a  community  house  36x72 


296  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

feet  was  erected.  It  provides  on  first  floor  for  gymnasium, 
kitchen,  pantry,  shower  hath,  and  dressing  room.  In  the 
balcony  is  a  simplex  motion-picture  machine.  On  the  sec- 
ond floor  is  a  room  30x38  feet  for  small  gatherings.  There 
is  a  young  people's  cluhroom,  with  open  fireplace,  beamed 
ceilings,  rugs,  wicker  chairs,  table,  and  game  tables. 

Halstead  Street  Methodist  Church  in  Chicago  is  in  the 
midst  of  a  community  representing  twenty-five  nationalities. 
Graded  Social  Service  in  the  Sunday  School,  Hutchins,  is 
largely  the  experience  of  that  school.  The  social-service 
activities  there  include  volunteer  workers  to  teach  manual 
activities,  classes  in  printing,  arts  and  crafts,  basketry, 
bookbinding,  and  brass  piercing.  These  are  on  Saturdays 
for  boys.  For  the  girls  there  are  cooking  courses  in  a 
model  kitchen,  serving,  and  nursing  of  babies  while  sisters 
are  in  classes.  There  is  a  mother's  club,  which  mends  and 
makes  over  old  garments,  a  free  dispensary,  and  hot  food 
every  noon.  Motion  pictures  (admission  one  cent),  club- 
room,  playgrounds,  and  gymnasium  are  other  features. 
More  than  three  thousand  every  week  are  cared  for  in  this 
institution. 

8.  Junior  Red  Cross.  The  Sunday  school  should  link 
up  closely  with  this  organization.  It  has  branches  in  half 
the  public  schools  of  America  and  also  in  China,  Europe, 
Australia,  and  in  thirty-eight  countries  in  all.  It  repre- 
sents a  world  league  of  children  and  youth,  doing  great 
service  to-day  for  the  world's  needy  ones,  and  preparing 
for  a  broader  service  to-morrow.  Its  service  takes  on  a 
multitude  of  forms.  In  New  South  Wales,  Australian  boys 
and  girls  have  established  and  maintain  a  tea  room  for 
blinded  service  men.  A  huge  shipment  of  garments,  saved 
and  mended  by  Chinese  children,  was  sent  to  poor  children 
in  Siberia.  In  California  members  of  this  organization  have 
made  toys  for  children's  hospitals.  In  Hungary  they  knit 
for  themselves  and  for  their  poorer  neighbors.  They  pro- 
vide scholarships  in  California  societies  for  disabled  or 
sick  children,  who  must  be  specially  educated;  and  support 


SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL     297 

preventoriums   for   children   threatened   with   tuberculosis, 
and  day  nurseries  for  poor  mothers. 

The  Red  Cross  Society  (Washington,  D.  C.)  can  give 
full  information  as  to  junior  organization  plans. 

9.  Employmeut  department.  While  this  is  only  one 
of  many  forms  of  social  service,  it  has  been  found  of  special 
value  in  city  Sunday  schools.  One  school  has  maintained 
such  a  department  for  thirty  years,  with  a  record  of  nearly 
two  hundred  annually  located  by  the  employment  commit- 
tee of  the  school.  In  another  school  a  committee  estab- 
lished a  vocational  class  to  determine  bent  and  capacity. 
The  teacher  was  asked,  through  a  questionnaire,  as  to  the 
pupil's  age,  occupation,  if  any,  ambitions,  opportunity,  and 
home  conditions.  The  vocational  class,  held  on  a  week- 
night,  analyzed  the  pupil,  directed  him  to  the  right  books  in 
the  line  of  his  needed  development,  and  counseled  as  to 
other  lines  of  preparation.  A  list  of  eligibles  was  made, 
employers  were  communicated  with,  and  the  pupils  were 
placed.    Such  an  interest  can  scarcely  fail  of  big  results. 

10.  Suggested  activities.  (1)  Send  the  poorer  chil- 
dren of  the  school  and  neighborhood  to  a  summer  home  or 
camp.  The  Christmas  gifts  of  a  school  might  well  be  di- 
rected to  this  service. 

(2)  Open  the  Sunday-school  rooms  and  grounds  in  sum- 
mer for  games,  industrial  work,  and  exercises,  to  do  definite 
educational  work  and  to  offset  unorganized  street  play. 

(3)  Visit  boarding  houses  with  invitations  to  services, 
socials,  and  entertainments.    Visit  hotels  for  same  purpose. 

(4)  See  to  the  location  of  sanitary  drinking  fountains 
at  strategic  points. 

(5)  Install  baseball  and  tennis  grounds  if  in  village  or 
country.  Visit  farmers  in  a  campaign  for  Saturday  half 
holiday  for  help  to  make  Sunday  baseball  unnecessary. 

(6)  Have  a  church  and  home  clean-up  day  for  renewing 
and  reviving  worn-out  or  mussed  materials,  improving 
church  grounds,  establishing  waste-paper  boxes,  and  re- 
moving all  rubbish. 


298  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

(7)  Have  a  social-service  rally,  inviting  the  city  or 
village  health-department  head,  and  present,  through  slides 
and  charts,  the  city  or  neighborhood  surveys.  Report  at 
this  rally  the  school's  social-service  work. 

(8)  Have  a  social-service  report  Sunday,  when  each 
class  will  tell  the  forms  of  class  social  service  for  the  year 
or  for  a  shorter  period. 

(9)  Have  a  weedless  Fourth.  During  the  previous  week 
classes  should  undertake  to  remove  weeds  from  the  vacant 
lots  in  the  neighborhood. 

(10)  Promote  band  concerts  for  a  local  park.  One  Sun- 
day-school class  arranged  for  a  Sunday-school  orchestra 
of  twenty  pieces,  which  played  without  charge  for  twelve 
nights  in  the  summer  season  in  the  public  park. 

(11)  Appoint  competent  Sunday-school  persons  to  co- 
operate in  supervising  the  public  playground. 

(12)  Provide  a  "happy  hour"  each  Saturday  in  the 
church  building  for  community  children,  with  stereopticon 
and  games. 

11.  Social-service  education.  The  committee  can  pro- 
mote a  knowledge  of  this  fascinating  department  of  Chris- 
tian service  by  the  following  means: 

(1)  Social-service  library. — Social-service  books  should 
be  purchased  by  the  church  or  school,  selections  being  made 
from  up-to-date  lists.     Consult  your  Sunday-school  board. 

(2)  Reading  course. — Several  of  the  books  may  be  se- 
lected for  a  season's  reading. 

(3)  Study  class. — Young  people  and  those  older  will  find 
a  week-night  meeting  a  remembered  one  in  the  discussion 
of  the  many  phases  of  social  service.  A  chapter  in  some 
good  book  should  be  read  and  discussed,  investigating  work 
assigned  by  the  leader,  and  report  on  some  previous  as- 
signment read  and  talked  over. 

(4)  Observation  work. — Groups  should  be  formed  to  ob- 
serve local  factory  or  other  employment  conditions,  as 
well  as  bad  housing,  street  conditions,  etc. 

(5)  Open  forum. — Illustrated  lectures  and  debates  par- 


SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL     29» 

ticipated  in  by  labor  representatives  will  arouse  great  in- 
terest in  social-service  problems. 

Bibliography 

Graded  Social  Service  for  the  Sunday  School,  Hutchins. 
The  Church  and  the  Community,  Diffendorfer. 
The  Social  Creed  of  the  Churches,  Ward. 
The  Church  a  Community  Force,  Tippy. 

Topic  for  Special   Study 

The  school's  cooperation  with  community  social-service 
agencies. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  are  the  duties  of  a  social-service  committee? 

2.  What  facts   should  be  brought   out   in   a  community 
survey? 

3.  To  what  use  should  the  survey  be  put? 

4.  State  one  form  of  social  service  for  each  school  de- 
partment. 

5.  What  is  the  plan  for  a  community  house? 

6.  The  Sunday  school  and  the  Junior  Red  Cross. 

7.  How  can  the  Sunday  school  assist  in  the  problem  of 
finding  employment? 

8.  State  special  forms  of  social  service  activities  for  the 
school. 

9.  What    methods    of   social    service   education    can    the 
school  employ? 


CHAPTER  XXI 
SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL 

The  special  days  of  the  school  year  are  more  than  anni- 
versaries. They  are  opportunities  of  increasing  the  en- 
thusiasm and  attendance  of  pupils,  interesting  the  home, 
attracting  new  members,  bringing  back  the  nonattendant, 
advertising  the  school,  brightening  the  school  year,  keep- 
ing anticipation  alive,  varying  the  school  program,  and 
broadening  the  objectives  of  the  school  with  reference  to 
those  things  for  which  these  days  stand. 

The  opportunity  of  these  special  days  is  so  great  that 
their  observance  must  not  be  left  to  sudden  and  haphazard 
preparation.  The  school  must  keep  its  reputation  for  good 
work  high.  A  careful  special-days  committee  can  give  the 
superintendent  great  assistance  by  a  thorough  study  of 
these  days,  by  gathering,  long  in  advance,  the  material 
necessary  to  success. 

Usually  some  denominational  or  other  offering  is  taken 
on  each  of  these  days.  Envelopes  should  be  made  ready, 
and  the  object  of  the  giving  explained  in  an  attractive  way. 

Only  brief  suggestions  concerning  these  days  can  be 
made  here.  Some  schools  plan  some  special  day  for  each 
month.  We  shall  here  consider  the  major  special  days  and 
some  minor  days. 

The  special-days  committee  should  have  a  representative 
in  each  department  of  the  school.  The  committee  should 
prepare  a  scrapbook  with  sufficient  space  for  material  for 
each  of  the  special  days.  This  material  can  be  obtained 
from  denominational  programs  and  such  Sunday-school 
periodicals  as  The  Church  School  (150  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York  City)  and  The  Sunday  School  Journal,  as  well  as  from 
correspondence  with  progressive  schools.     This  should  be 

300 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  301 

constantly  added  to.  Programs  of  past  special  days  should 
be  preserved  for  suggestions  and  to  avoid  repetition. 

The  committee  should  plan  floral,  flag,  bunting,  and  tissue 
decorations  in  harmony  with  the  day.  Indeed,  such  ma- 
terial should  be  on  hand  constantly  as  a  part  of  the  school 
equipment. 

The  committee  should  see  that  the  plans  are  given  adver- 
tising through  the  publicity  man  of  the  school. 

1.  Easter  Sunday.  Flowers  and  song  and  the  upspring- 
ing  hope  in  every  heart  are  the  superintendent's  allies  in 
planning  a  gladsome  Easter  day.  Easter  gives  the  superin- 
tendent an  opportunity  to  send  a  poem  or  personal  mes- 
sage to  the  pupils,  teachers,  and  homes  of  the  school.  Many 
schools  use  Easter  for  the  annual  missionary  offering. 
Special  Easter  programs  are  provided  by  the  denomina- 
tional mission  and  Sunday-school  board.  An  Easter  sun- 
rise service  should  be  a  part  of  each  Easter  day's  exercises 
and  be  made  a  time  of  deep  religious  significance,  as  the 
Easter  story  is  read  and  Easter  music  sung.  It  may  add 
to  the  interest  of  this  service  if  a  group  of  singers  can  stop 
at  homes  in  the  early  dawn  on  the  way  to  the  meeting  and 
sing  simple  Easter  songs  in  the  open.  A  special  invitation 
to  this  sunrise  service  will  give  the  superintendent  a  special 
contact  with  pupil  and  home. 

For  the  weeks  preceding  Easter  the  junior  boys  may  be 
kept  busy  in  handwork,  producing  models  of  the  tomb, 
with  rolling  door,  or  a  relief  map  showing  Jerusalem,  Cal- 
vary, and  Mount  of  Olives.  These  can  be  exhibited  on  Eas- 
ter Day. 

(1)  Decorations. — Classes  may  be  asked  to  bring  for  Eas- 
ter a  potted  plant,  designated  for  some  sick  member  or 
shut-in  after  use  in  the  decoration.  Where  Easter  lilies 
are  not  available,  the  room  may  be  garlanded  with  green 
runners  and  lilies  made  of  crepe  paper.  White  crepe-paper 
bells  will  cost  but  little  and  can  be  interspersed  with  the 
green  vines  effectively.  Draw  upon  the  blackboard  Easter 
flowers  and  a  message. 


362  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Lily  and  hyacinth  bulbs  and  seeds  may  be  given  out  to 
pupils  some  weeks  in  advance  of  Easter,  the  flowers  to  be 
brought  on  Easter  day  for  use.  A  plant  should  be  sent  by 
the  school  to  each  home  from  which,  during  the  year,  a 
member  of  the  school  has  gone  out  to  the  eternal  home. 

A  wire  cross  may  be  placed  upon  the  platform,  and  the 
school  or  department  pass  in  procession,  each  of  the  pupils 
placing  a  white  flower  in  the  spaces  and  so  covering  the 
cross.  An  electric  cross  with  white  and  green  lights  is 
very  effective,  or  some  electrically  outlined  Easter  mes- 
sage such  as  "He  is  risen." 

Get  copies  of  the  best  resurrection  paintings  for  decora- 
tion, such  as  "Holy  Women  at  the  Tomb"  (Ender),  "Peter 
and  John"  (Burnand),  "Christ  Appearing  to  Mary"  (Fra 
Angelico),  "Easter  Morning"  (Von  Uhde),  and  "Morning  of 
Resurrection"    (Burne- Jones). 

Several  arches  trimmed  with  vines  and  lilies  may  be 
used  in  a  school  processional,  in  which  the  younger  chil- 
dren carry  calla  or  Easter  lilies. 

The  flowers  and  plants  brought  by  pupils  may  each  have 
attached  an  Easter  card  and  be  designated  to  some  hospital 
or  home.  Names  for  these  designations  should  be  obtained 
from  the  institution,  if  possible,  several  weeks  in  advance 
of  Easter.  If  these  can  be  personally  taken  by  the  pupils, 
so  much  the  better.    "I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me." 

A  Southern  Sunday  school  used  holly,  bamboo,  and  ferns 
in  its  decorations.  The  cross  was  placed  behind  a  white 
sheet  in  an  alcove  of  the  platform;  and  when  the  lights 
were  turned  on,  the  effect  was  beautiful.  Another  school 
placed  the  cross,  trimmed  with  Easter  lilies,  against  a 
background  consisting  of  a  square  sheet  on  a  frame  with 
cedar  trimming. 

One  school  prepared  a  black  cross  for  the  platform  repre- 
senting the  darkness  of  Good  Friday.  While  the  pupils,  at 
the  superintendent's  suggestion,  bowed  their  heads,  this 
was  transformed  into  a  flower-covered  cross  by  a  few  of- 
flcers,  using  holes  in  the  cross,  previously  prepared. 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  303 

(2)  Souvenirs. — It  may  well  be  the  custom  for  the 
school  to  present  at  Eastertime  a  bulb  or  geranium 
slip  or  a  few  nasturtium,  pansy,  or  other  seeds,  with 
a  pot  and  earth,  the  flowers  to  be  brought  in  on  some  later 
designated  day,  and  used  in  the  platform  decorations. 

Pressed  flowers  from  Palestine,  paper  cut  in  the  form  of 
a  lily,  double,  with  a  verse  written  inside;  a  card  with 
cocoon  and  butterfly  marked:  "Asleep  .  .  .  awake";  Easter 
cards  made  by  a  group  of  classes  decorated  with  a  floral 
design  or  a  pressed  flower  and  bearing  name  of  school  and 
the  date;  and  an  Easter  greeting  or  a  school  program,  if 
printed  tastefully,   are   appropriate. 

One  school  gave  out  fifteen  hundred  Easter  souvenir 
tags,  to  be  worn  by  each  attendant  on  Easter  morning. 

Special  Easter  souvenir  envelopes  should  be  prepared  by 
pupils  for  the  sick  and  shut-in  members  of  the  school.  These 
may  contain  a  poem,  a  card,  pictures  of  lilies  or  a  resurrec- 
tion scene,  or  a  personally  written  message  from  the  super- 
intendent or  class  teacher.  These  should  be  carried  to  the 
home  after  the  Easter  exercises  by  the  King's  Messengers. 

(3)  Programs. — The  Easter  programs  furnished  by  the 
missionary  boards  are  excellent.  When  the  school  arranges 
its  own  services,  the  program  should  be  printed  in  Easter 
violet.  The  Easter  lesson  should  be  studied  by  the  classes 
as  the  heart  of  the  service.  Where  this  does  not  leave  time 
enough  for  an  adequate  service,  the  evening  church  service 
could  be  given  to  the  school. 

A  graded  Easter  program,  in  which  each  department  car- 
ries out  its  own  program  in  its  own  room,  that  program 
emphasizing  such  part  of  the  story  as  is  best  fitted  to  the 
pupils  of  that  department,  is  the  ideal  plan. 

The  teachings  of  nature  as  to  the  resurrection  should  be 
brought  out  in  object  lessons  and  in  recitations  from  the 
poets. 

The  great  Easter  songs  should  be  sung,  such  as  "Christ 
the  Lord  Is  Risen  To-Day,"  "Hail  the  Day  That  Sees  Him 
Rise,"  "Crown  Him  With  Many  Crowns,"  "God  Hath  Sent 


304  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

His  Angels,"  "Ye  Happy  Bells  of  Easter  Day,"  and  "I  Know 
That  My  Redeemer  Liveth." 

The  Easter  processional  by  departments,  each  department 
contributing  its  song  or  section  of  a  unified  program,  is  a 
plan  often  used. 

The  stereopticon  may  be  used  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
resurrection  as  shown  in  the  paintings  of  the  masters. 
Songs  may  be   interspersed. 

Easter  is  used  largely  as  a  church  membership  day  for 
the  pupils.  Programs  based  upon  this  objective  are  pre- 
pared by  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

What  Easter  means  to  the  world  may  be  shown  by  pupils 
dressed  to  represent  different  nations.  They  may  tell  the 
teachings  of  the  religions  of  these  nations  as  to  the  future, 
especially  as  related  to  women  and  childhood;  and  then 
another  may  tell  of  the  strong  assurance  and  hope  of  Chris- 
tianity. Or  young  men  dressed  as  priests  of  the  great  re- 
ligions may  indicate  what  each  stands  for  as  to  immortal- 
ity, and  the  hope  of  the  gospel  may  be  presented  by  a 
Christian  representative. 

One  school's  program  used  a  class  of  young  men  as  citi- 
zens of  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Thessalonica,  Athens,  Corinth, 
Philippi,  and  Colossse.  The  young  men  were  called  upon 
in  turn  to  tell  the  effect  of  Christ's  resurrection  and  Paul's 
preaching  of  it  in  these  places. 

The  teachings  of  nature  as  to  the  resurrection  may  be 
brought  out  in  object  lesson  of  the  bulb  and  lily,  the  cater- 
pillar and  butterfly.  Songs  and  recitations  of  the  early 
flowers — snowdrop,  crocus,  violet,  and  anemone — will  have 
a  place  also. 

An  interesting  and  educational  program  may  be  prepared 
on  "Childhood  in  Other  Lands,"  illustrated  by  a  group  of 
children  dressed  in  the  costumes  of  these  countries  and, 
if  possible,  carrying  the  flags  of  the  countries  they  repre- 
sent. The  brief  story  of  the  child  life  of  the  land  repre- 
sented, its  games,  child  customs,  and  limitations,  may  be 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  305 

told  by  each,  one  or  two  songs  rendered,  and  a  floral  cross 
exhibited;  or,  as  at  the  world's  convention  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  an  electric  cross  may  be  displayed  against  a  map 
of  the  world,  while  all  sing  "In  the  Cross  of  Christ  I  Glory." 

An  Anniston,  Alabama,  school  used  a  cross-and-tomb  ex- 
ercise, which  included  a  large  arch  on  the  platform,  with 
the  inscription  "The  Hope  of  the  Ages,"  and  a  portrayal 
of  the  tomb,  with  door.  A  tableau  was  given,  the  younger 
women  acting  as  angels  and  Mary,  and  the  angel  within 
the  tomb  reading  the  resurrection  story,  while  the  others 
listened.    Then  came  the  Easter  song  by  the  choir. 

2.  Children's  Day.  (1)  General  plan^. — Children's  Day 
is  usually  observed  the  second  Sunday  of  June.  Because 
of  its  proximity  to  Flag  Day  the  two  are  often  combined. 
Occurring  not  far  from  graduation  day  in  the  public  schools, 
many  schools  observe  Children's  Day  as  Promotion  Day. 

The  children  should  be  given  the  right  of  way  in  the 
program.  The  morning  church  service  may  be  devoted  to 
the  children,  who  should  have  special  part  in  song,  recita- 
tion, or  exercise.  It  is  a  good  time  for  the  pastor  to  em- 
phasize the  Sunday  school  before  the  church  membership 
and  to  secure  their  enlistment  for  school  membership  or 
service.  The  baptism  of  children  should  be  a  feature  of 
Children's  Day. 

The  decorations  will  express  the  floral  wealth  of  June  in 
cut  flowers,  arches,  branches,  tall  grasses,  reeds,  floral 
bowers,  a  garden  with  paths,  or  a  fence  with  gate.  Crepe 
paper  may  be  used  profusely  in  simulating  roses  and  vines. 
Birds  and  pictures  of  happy  children  should  be  in  place. 
Flags  in  unique  forms  should  brighten  the  room. 

The  children  should  be  given  the  opportunity  of  service 
to  other  children  through  sending  the  latter,  in  hospitals, 
orphanages,  and  asylums,  souvenir  postals  and  flowers.  The 
superintendent  should  secure  for  this  purpose  the  names 
of  the  children  who  are  to  be  remembered. 

(2)  Programs.— The  Methodist  Board  of  Education,  150 
Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City,  furnishes  a  choice  program 


306  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

each  year  for  Children's  Day  and  gives  information  as  to 
the  work  of  the  board  in  assisting  worthy  young  people  to 
an  education  through  the  Children's  Day  offerings  of  the 
Sunday  schools  of  Methodist  churches.  Other  denomina- 
tions also  have  some  financial  objective  for  the  day  and  a 
printed   program. 

As  suggested,  the  flag  has  a  place  on  Children's  Day. 
The  processional  on  Children's  Day  should  be  headed  by 
the  American  and  the  Christian  flags  and  the  class  banners. 

If  there  are  any  veterans  in  the  vicinity  of  the  school,  a 
group  of  children  may  act  as  an  escort  to  conduct  them  to 
the  platform  of  the  school,  while  the  school  sings  "Onward, 
Christian  Soldiers." 

Bible  texts  on  patriotism  may  be  given  by  classes,  and 
"America"  sung.  Brief  talks  may  be  in  order  on  "The 
History  and  Meaning  of  the  Flag,"  "What  the  American 
Flag  Stands  for  Here  and  Elsewhere,"  "How  to  Make  It 
Count  for  Most." 

If  the  attendance  of  veterans  is  secured,  a  large  bunched 
flag  can,  by  a  string  device,  be  dropped  while  all  sing  "The 
Star-Spangled  Banner"  with  a  new  meaning  in  the  presence 
of  those  who  have  volunteered  and  fought  for  the  flag's  de- 
fense. 

Recitations  and  songs  by  the  children  should  be  devel- 
oped about  the  theme  selected  for  the  day.  Flowers  and 
the  relation  of  children  in  the  plan  of  the  Kingdom  will  be 
prominent  in  the  treatment  of  the  day  in  Scripture,  recita- 
tion, and  song;  and  in  most  of  the  published  programs  for 
the  day  these  things  have  a  place.  Among  the  songs  for 
the  day  may  be  suggested  "I  Think  When  I  Read  That 
Sweet  Story  of  Old,"  "Fling  Out  the  Banner,"  "Saviour, 
Like  a  Shepherd,"  "Summer  Suns  Are  Glowing,"  "Hark, 
My  Soul,"  "  'Tis  Children's  Day,"  and  "The  Christian  Flag." 

"Flowers  of  Palestine  and  flowers  of  America"  will  give 
opportunity  for  Scripture  references  to  flowers  and  for 
pupils  to  guess  the  names  of  American  flowers,  with  char- 
acter lessons  drawn  from  their  meaning. 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  307 

One  school  had  on  Children's  Day  a  wall-building  plan: 
"Builders  of  Character,"  with  blocks  representing  the  ele- 
ments necessary  in  the  foundation  and  structure  of  life. 

3.  Rally  Day.  The  principle  of  Rally  Day  can  be  ap- 
plied to  other  days  of  the  school  year.  A  100-per-cent  at- 
tendance day  can  be  striven  for  several  times  during  the 
year  by  similar  methods.  There  can  be  department  rallies 
and  class  rallies.  A  quarterly  rally  aim  may  be  planned, 
such  as,  for  one  quarter,  "intension"  (attendance) ;  an- 
other, "extension"  (new  pupils);  another,  "spiritual  in- 
gathering," and  the  social  and  athletic  aim  for  the  other. 

Rally  Day,  as  an  annual  occasion,  should  be  brought 
closely  into  relation  with  the  general  Sunday-school  work 
of  the  denomination. 

On  that  day  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  schools  take  up 
the  offering  for  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools.  Other  de- 
nominations have  special  objectives  for  the  gifts  of  their 
schools. 

Ordinarily  the  most  favorable  time  for  Rally  Day  is  the 
last  Sunday  in  September  or  some  Sunday  early  in  October. 
Local  conditions  should  govern  the  selection  of  the  day.  A 
principal  purpose  should  be  to  arouse  the  whole  school  to 
attendance  after  the  summer  relaxation,  to  enlist  new  mem- 
bers, and  to  sound  the  keynote  for  a  forward  move  of  the 
whole  school  life.  The  success  of  the  day  will  depend  on 
the  preparation  for  it  and  the  publicity  given  to  it. 

(1)  General  suggestions. — The  decoration  of  the  assembly 
room  should  be  planned  for  with  flags  or  autumn  leaves 
and  branches,  goldenrod,  corn  fodder,  and  wheat,  and  class 
and  school  banners.  The  motto  of  the  day,  which  should 
be  the  keynote  for  the  year,  may  be  outlined  in  autumn 
leaves. 

Many  schools  that  have  adopted  the  International 
Graded  Lessons  now  make  use  of  Rally  Day  as  Promotion 
Day.  As  these  lessons  begin  October  1,  this  is  an  especially 
convenient  and  fitting  plan. 

An  alternative  plan  is  for  each  class   to  have  its   own 


308  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Rally  Day,  the  dates  of  such  rallies  being  distributed 
through  the  year  and  the  schedules  printed,  the  class  re- 
porting on  that  day  its  attendance  and  items  of  class  in- 
terest, and  its  leader  and  members  invited  to  take  part 
in  the  program  through  a  class  poem,  a  solo,  or  platform 
decoration. 

A  Rally  Day  souvenir  should  be  planned  for  and  an- 
nounced. It  may  be  very  simple  and  may  be  made  by  the 
willing  hands  of  the  teachers  and  pupils  at  trifling  expense. 
A  star,  on  each  point  of  which  will  be  printed  some  objec- 
tive of  the  school,  with  the  Rally  Day  date  in  the  center; 
a  celluloid  bookmark  or  one  made  of  bright  colored  card- 
board showing  the  date,  and  decorated  with  a  Madonna, 
Hofmann's  head  of  Christ,  or  some  other  good  picture;  a 
school  button  with  the  school  motto  on  it;  a  badge  in  the 
form  of  a  heart  or  shield  or  crest,  with  appropriate  Scrip- 
ture; a  check  tag,  which  may  be  sent  with  invitation,  with 
a  different  color  for  each  department,  and  marked  "Checked 

for Sunday   School   Rally   Day" ; 

or  a  special  recognition  for  each  perfect  class  by  the  presen- 
tation of  an  interesting  missionary  book.  An  attendance 
goal  should  be  set  and  apportioned  to  each  department. 

A  house-to-house  visitation  is  most  important  to  recruit 
new  members  for  the  best  part  of  the  school  year. 

General  advertising  for  Rally  Day  may  include  car 
posters,  streamers  across  front  of  school  and  display  "ads" 
in  the  press. 

(2)  Invitations. — These  should  come  from  three  sources: 
the  public  notice,  the  direct  notification  of  the  school,  and 
the  effort  of  teachers  and  class  committees  to  bring  out  a 
100-per-cent  attendance. 

Probably  the  largest  lever  is  the  teacher's  personal  effort 
with  the  pupil.  The  superintendent  should  arouse  the 
teachers  to  this  by  a  letter  to  every  teacher  several  weeks 
in  advance  of  Rally  Day,  outlining  the  plans  for  Rally 
Week  or  Rally  Day,  stating  the  theme  of  the  day,  the  at- 
tendance goal,  the  teachers'  events  beyond  Rally  Day,  the 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  309 

importance  of  attendance  at  the  weekly  or  monthly  work- 
ers' meeting,  the  "power  house"  of  the  school;  and  urge 
that  the  teachers,  by  visitation,  letter,  and  souvenir 
postal,  secure  an  "every-member-present"  class  for  the 
day.  Where  possible  the  Rally  Day  invitations  should  be 
graded,  so  that  each  pupil  may  be  appealed  to  from  his 
own  age  angle. 

Much  ingenuity  has  been  shown  in  the  form  of  school  in- 
vitations to  pupils  with  the  purpose  of  attracting  attention 
and  arousing  curiosity.  Some  of  these  plans  can  be  briefly 
outlined: 

(a)  The  telegram  or  codegram  plan. — This  consists  of 
a  telegram  on  the  form  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  Tele- 
graph Company,  showing  number  of  offices  and  local  sta- 
tions, delivered  by  the  school's  messenger  corps,  putting 
the  event  and  its  features  in  short  sentences,  and  signed  by 
superintendent  and  pastor.  The  codegram  plan  will  employ 
signal  code  terms  (write  Goodenough  and  Woglom  Com- 
pany, New  York  City). 

(&)  The  train  and  station  method. — Tickets  are  sent  the 
pupils  for  a  continuous  passage  on  the  "Christian  Bible 
School  Railroad,"  for  Rally  Day,  scheduling  the  time,  and 
with  coupons  for  such  stations  as  Vacationville,  Roll  Call 
Station,  Welcome  Point,  Primary  Junction,  Junior  Town, 
Senior  Bend,  Intermediate  Station,  Adult  Heights,  Mission- 
ary Ridge,  and  Home  Terminal;  engineer's  orders  (superin- 
tendent) ;  address  from  the  president  (pastor);  travelers' 
songs,  report  of  the  run  (secretary) ;  refreshments  (twenty- 
third  Psalm);  hot-box  preventive  (offering). 

(c)  The  subpoena  form. — This  is  issued  as  a  summons  to 
the  pupil  from  the  special-sessions  court  of  the  school  to 
attend  the  special  Rally  Day  service  and  to  show  cause 
why  he  should  not  be  present.  If  not  present  he  is  guilty  of 
contempt  of  court,  with  the  penalty  of  the  loss  of  the 
pleasure  of  the  day.  The  order  has  added  the  seal  of  the 
school. 

id)   The  promissory  note  jilan. — This  may  be  an  invita- 


310  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

tion  from  the  superintendent,  marking  the  profit  of  the 
Rally  Day  business  and  a  return  postal  signed  by  the  pupil 
obligating  himself,  for  value  received,  to  meet  his  note  of 
hand  at  the  school  at  the  date  and  hour  named. 

(e)  Homecoming  day. — This  will  be  an  invitation  to  the 
sons  and  daughters  to  the  annual  homecoming,  with  the 
latch  string  out  for  all.  The  fireside,  the  home  stories, 
the  talks  by  members  of  the  circle  who  have  been  travel- 
ing, songs  and  recitations  from  the  younger  folks,  may  all 
be  woven  in,  as  well  as  the  great  fireside  Book  and  the 
"Home  o'  the  Leal."  The  decorations  may  take  a  harvest- 
home  form,  and  the  pupils  encouraged  to  bring  fruit  and 
vegetables  for  platform  decorations,  these  to  go  afterward 
to  the  needy. 

(/)  The  military  plan. — This  may  take  the  form  of  a 
military  order,  or  "Call  to  the  Colors,"  from  the  superin- 
tendent as  colonel  of  the  Sunday-school  regiment.  The  de- 
partments are  designated  as  battalions,  the  classes  as  com- 
panies, the  teachers  as  captains  of  the  companies,  the  pas- 
tor as  major-general,  and  all  the  officers  of  the  school 
having  appropriate  rank,  such  as  quartermaster  for  treas- 
urer, and  adjutant  for  secretary. 

ig)  The  boat  invitation. — This  comes  from  the  ship's 
commander  as  a  command  to  the  officers  and  crew,  giving 
the  sailing  date  and  hour,  the  ship's  name  (the  Sunday 
school),  the  flag  she  flies,  the  log  of  the  cruise,  the  pilot 
(Christ),  the  chart  (Bible),  the  compass  (conscience),  the 
dangers  of  the  voyage  (temptations),  the  life-saving  sta- 
tions (church  and  Sunday  schools),  and  the  port  (heaven). 

(h)  Aviation  meet. — The  invitation  will  include  the  pic- 
ture of  an  airplane.  Each  department  will  be  designated 
by  the  type  of  plane  most  fitting.  The  school  building  will 
be  the  hangar,  and  the  officers  will  be  the  sky  pilot,  com- 
mander of  the  aviation  corps,  and  the  squadron  superin- 
tendent. 

(3)  Other  /orms.— Sunday-school  supply  houses  should 
be  applied  to  for  forms  already  in  print  covering  some  of 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  311 

the  plans  above  described  and  many  other  ingenious  meth- 
ods of  securing  attention  and  attendance. 

A  postcard  invitation  may  have  a  return  postal  in  the 
form  of  an  invitation,  to  be  signed  by  the  pupil  and  sent 
by  him  to  a  friend,  inviting  the  friend  to  the  Rally  Day 
service  or  to  join  the  school;  or  the  return  card  may  be  the 
pupil's  direct  word  to  the  superintendent  pledging  attend- 
ance. 

For  the  pupils  and  for  the  community  the  invitations 
should  be  inclosed  in  envelopes,  the  exterior  printing  on 
which  will  bear  some  striking  suggestion  of  the  inclosure. 

The  invitations  should  all  aim  to  enlist  new  recruits, 
should  reach  every  member  of  the  school,  including  the 
Home  Department  and  Cradle  Roll,  and  should  give  a  hint 
or  an  outline  of  program  features. 

Where  no  special  plan  is  used,  the  invitation  as  to  form  of 
card  and  printing  scheme  should  be  striking,  say  black  on 
red,  or  red  on  black,  or  blue  on  buff.  Denominational  and 
general  Sunday-school  supply  houses  have  a  great  variety 
of  such  cards.  Designs  such  as  megaphones,  clocks,  and 
doors  will  catch  the  eye.  These  invitations  should  be 
mailed  to  the  members  of  the  school  or  delivered  by  the 
messenger  corps. 

(4)  Rally  Week. — This  week  precedes  Rally  Day  in  many 
schools.  Some  schools  observe  it  the  week  following  Rally 
Day.  The  purpose  is  to  rally  the  school  departments,  sepa- 
rately and  collectively,  socially  and  spiritually,  for  a  strong 
fall  start.  This  week  is  observed  in  different  ways.  Some- 
times departments  are  tendered  receptions  on  different 
afternoons  and  evenings.  The  weekly  prayer-meeting  topic 
should  bear  on  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school. 

A  good  plan  is  to  give  Monday  evening  to  the  teachers 
for  a  "fagot  fire"  to  discuss  vacation  experiences  and  to 
plan  definitely  to  bring  out  the  full  attendance  for  Rally 
Day.  One  or  two  talks  from  the  management  side  may  be 
given,  and  plans  discussed  for  a  forward  move.  Tuesday 
evening  could  be  given  to  several  papers  on  the  teacher's 


312  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

relation  to  Sunday-school  success;  Wednesday,  to  the  de- 
partment reports  and  plans;  Thursday,  to  visitation  of 
Sunday-school  homes  by  the  teachers,  and  general  invita- 
tion;  Friday,  to  the  prayer  meeting  with  a  topic;  and  Sat- 
urday, to  the  school  outing  and  a  social  time.  Teachers, 
Home  Department  members,  and  older  pupils  may  be  in- 
vited to  these  gatherings,  and  all  to  the  outing.  The  plan 
and  invitations  should  be  printed  and  distributed. 

A  social  reception  may  be  planned  for  one  day,  the  Cra- 
dle Roll,  Beginners',  Primary,  and  Junior  Departments 
coming  in  the  afternoon  for  games,  followed  by  refresh- 
ments; and  the  other  departments  meeting  for  social  and 
"eats"  in  the  evening,  a  surprise  being  planned  for  each 
gathering. 

Sometimes  church  Rally  Week  programs  are  planned. 
One  church  included  in  its  plan  for  the  week,  visitation 
day,  young  people's  night,  Sunday-school  night,  gymnasium 
open  house,  ladies'  missionary  night,  and  a  congregational 
reception. 

The  Rally  Week  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday 
School  of  Petoskey,  Michigan,  covered,  Monday,  a  canvass 
for  new  members;  Tuesday,  an  afternoon  Home  Depart- 
ment and  Cradle  Roll  rally;  Tuesday  evening,  a  men's 
rally  and  reception;  Wednesday  afternoon,  an  Intermediate 
Department  rally;  Thursday  evening,  a  prayer  meeting  in 
the  interest  of  Sunday  school;  Friday  afternoon,  calling 
on  absentees;  Saturday  afternoon,  a  Primary  Department 
rally  and  reception. 

Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Denver,  initiates 
its  Rally  Week  with  a  general  visitation  of  church  and 
Sunday-school  homes  on  the  previous  Sunday.  Prospects 
for  church  and  school  are  included  in  this  invitation. 

(5)  Enrollment  Sunday. — The  Sunday  preceding  Rally 
Day  is  a  good  time  for  enrolling  new  members,  and  the 
drive  can  be  made  for  this.  This  will  give  the  new  pupils 
a  chance  to  be  settled  before  Rally  Day.  The  classes,  as 
names  are  called,  may  announce  the  new  enrollment  tor 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  313 

any  department  of  the  school  secured  by  the  class.  Rally 
Day  affords  a  good  opportunity  for  the  church  to  put  em- 
phasis upon  the  Sunday  school  by  a  church  rally  of  all  the 
school.  The  officers  and  teachers  should  march  into  the 
church  in  a  body  and  be  seated  according  to  departments 
in  a  reserved  space;  the  school  should  sing  a  few  special 
songs;  the  sermon  should  exalt  the  service  of  the  teacher; 
and  all  the  officers  and  teachers  should  gather  at  the  altar 
at  the  close  for  consecration  to  their  important  work  of 
religious  education. 

(6)  Rally  Day  programs. — The  Board  of  Sunday  Schools 
prepares  each  year  an  excellent  Rally  Day  service  for  use 
by  Methodist  schools.  This  official  program  should  be  used 
wherever  possible.  Many  other  denominational  Sunday- 
school  boards  do  likewise. 

Some  schools  will  desire  to  construct  their  own  program. 
If  so,  it  should  be  constructed  about  a  theme  and,  wherever 
possible,  presented  as  a  souvenir  of  the  day.  It  may  be 
made  the  means  of  suggestions  and  a  message  that  will  be 
fruitful.  There  should  be  a  theme  and  text,  such  as  "Go 
forward"  (Exod.  14.  15).  In  such  a  service  classes  can 
announce  their  special  service  purpose  for  the  year  beyond 
Rally  Day. 

The  program  and  invitations  should  match  in  their 
general  plan.  Each  department  should  be  given  some 
participation  in  the  Rally  Day  program,  preferably  in 
separate  meetings  of  the  departments,  the  general  Rally 
Day  theme  being  graded  to  department  use.  A  Rally  Day 
hymn  composed  for  the  school  may  be  sung.  The  names 
of  honor  classes  and  honor  pupils  having  perfect  attend- 
ance for  the  summer  should  be  announced.  Messages  from 
absent  or  sick  pupils  or  teachers  may  be  given.  At  the  roll 
call  classes  will  announce  enrollment  and  number  present, 
perfect  classes  being  designated  as  star  classes. 

The  military  plan  will  involve  a  processional  into  the 
school,  the  bugle  call,  the  regimental  inspection,  captain 
and  company  rising  at  class  roll  call  and  report,  department 


314  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

battalion  participation,  and  such  songs  as  "Onward,  Chris- 
tian Soldiers."  Target-firing  speeches  on  points  of  school 
interest  will  be  helpful  if  brief.  Recruits  may  be  presented. 
Class  and  department  banner  and  flags  should  be  in  place. 
The  boat  plan  may  be  made  interesting  through  voyage 
songs,  short  talks  by  the  commander,  purser,  and  chaplain, 
and  through  the  employment  of  the  many  nautical  terms 
that  will  be  applicable  to  the  program  and  other  parts  of 
the  plan. 

In  the  Third  Presbyterian  Sunday  School  of  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  an  arch  of  victory  was  built  by  thirty-three 
pupils.  There  was  a  letter  on  each  block.  As  a  pupil 
stepped  forward  with  the  block  he  repeated  a  Scripture 
verse  beginning  with  that  letter.  The  blocks  on  one  col- 
umn read  "Our  Redeemer";  on  the  other  column,  "Only 
Saviour."  The  arch  blocks  read  "Jesus  Christ."  After 
the  arch  building  a  cross  at  the  center  rear  was  unveiled, 
while  the  audience  sang  softly  "Alas!  and  Did  My  Saviour 
Bleed." 

A  West  Philadelphia  school  arranged  for  a  "Homer  Day." 
The  invitations  bore  a  picture  of  a  homer  pigeon.  On  the 
Sunday  before  Rally  Day  six  hundred  homer  pigeons  in 
cardboard  form  were  given  out  to  teachers  for  distribu- 
tion to  pupils  for  a  100-per-cent  attendance.  These  were 
brought  in  the  following  Sunday  and  were  placed  in  a 
pigeon  loft  with  six  hundred  holes.  A  few  real  pigeons 
were  there  to  interest  the  children,  and  the  program 
turned  on  Bible  birds,  their  habits,   and  fidelity. 

My  school  arranged  for  departmental  rallies  the  Sunday 
previous  to  Rally  Day,  using  large  departmental  shields 
in  the  departmental  colors  established  by  the  International 
Association:  the  Children's  Division  white  and  green;  the 
Young  People's,  white  and  blue;  the  Adult,  white  and  red; 
and  the  Home  Department,  white  and  brown.  On  Rally 
Day  the  shields  were  used  for  platform  decorations,  and 
the  department  attendance  was  shown  on  them  in  large 
figures. 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  315 

The  Saint  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School, 
Toledo,  Ohio,  "marshaled  the  colors" — a  time-honored  cus- 
tom of  the  French  army.  The  American  Red  Cross  and 
flags  were  on  the  platform.  After  songs  and  addresses  on 
the  flags  and  their  meaning  each  class,  preceded  by  the 
bearer  of  the  class  pennant  in  the  class  colors,  which  bore 
the  class  name,  marched  to  the  platform  upon  call.  The 
color  bearers  saluted  the  American  flag  as  they  passed  and 
stacked  their  pennants  in  prepared  places  about  the  two 
big  flags.  The  school  meanwhile  sang  "Onward,  Christian 
Soldiers." 

The  airplane-meet  program  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Sunday  School  of  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  suggested  "The 
church  an  upward  movement."  The  text  was  Eph.  2.  6. 
There  were  an  aero  bugle  call,  a  Scripture  reading  by  the 
"sky  pilot,"  prayer  by  the  superintendent  of  the  "aviation 
corps,"  a  solo,  "The  Wings  of  a  Dove,"  divisional  assembly 
of  the  "reconnaissance"  or  "scout  division,"  the  "combat 
division,"  the  "bombardment  division,"  and  a  talk  on  "The 
Aces  of  the  Air."  It  is  possible  to  bring  a  wealth  of  flne 
Scripture  illustration  and  song  to  such  a  service,  and 
there  are  many  who  were  in  the  aviation  service  who  are 
available  for  addresses. 

A  "Community-Wide  Rally  Day"  plan  of  the  Glen-Leven 
Sunday  School  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  provided  for  the 
slogan  "The  Community  in  the  Sunday  Schools  of  the  Com- 
munity." The  Sunday  service  was  preceded  by  a  great 
Sunday-evening  "community  song-sing,"  which  brought  the 
community  together  with  special  musicians  and  music. 
The  Rally  Day  goal  suggested  100-per-cent  attendance,  on 
time,  in  gifts,  and  in  prayer. 

"World  Reconstruction  Day,"  or  "Reconstruction  Day," 
bears  upon  the  Christian  program  for  world  rebuilding. 
World  needs  of  every  kind  may  be  presented  by  young 
men  and  young  women,  costumed  to  represent  those  na- 
tions which  are  the  most  in  need  of  guidance  and  help. 
What  is  now  being  done  in  their  behalf  should  be  shown. 


816  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

World  outreach  songs  should  be  sung,  and  the  school's 
Rally  Day  purpose  to  help  stated. 

"Enlistment  Day"  and  "Mobilization  Day"  have  been 
popular  forms  of  invitation  and  program.  Each  depart- 
ment should  be  designated  as  a  particular  branch  of  the 
service;  and  songs,  Scripture,  and  other  features  will  be 
in  harmony  with  the  military  idea.  New  enlistments  will 
be  aimed  for  as  one  goal. 

(7)  After  Rally  Day. — The  sick  and  shut-ins  should  be 
remembered  with  flowers  and  souvenirs.  Letters  may  be 
sent  to  Rally  Day  visitors  whose  names  have  been  taken  on 
registration  cards,  inviting  to  school  membership  or  a 
further  call. 

The  enrollment  or  visiting  committee  should  carefully 
scan  the  Rally  Day  absentee  list  and  plan  for  an  immedi- 
ate visit  through  the  teacher  or  the  committee. 

Save  some  good  features  for  the  Sunday  following  Rally 
Day  in  order  to  keep  up  a  good  emphasis.  The  one  or  more 
new  school  goals  announced  on  Rally  Day  should  be  pushed 
from  week  to  week. 

4.  Thanksgiving  Sunday.  This  will  be  observed  in  the 
school  on  the  Sunday  before  or  after  Thanksgiving. 
Thanksgiving  gives  the  superintendent  opportunity  to  send 
a  carefully  prepared  message  to  the  home  to  enlist  the 
home  for  prayer,  praise,  and  increased  reading  of  the 
Book.  Fruits,  groceries,  and  vegetables  should  be  brought 
by  the  pupils,  if  possible,  the  Saturday  before,  to  give  op- 
portunity for  their  tasteful  arrangement  for  Sunday. 
Green  and  yellow  crepe  paper,  red  apples,  pumpkins,  corn- 
stalks, and  trimmed  baskets  will  make  attractive  special 
decoration.  The  pupils  may  assist  in  taking  these  gifts 
afterward  to  the  poor  and  to  institutions.  A  sunrise  prayer 
meeting  may  appropriately  inaugurate  Thanksgiving  Day 
or  the  Sunday  set  apart  for  its  observance. 

The  program  will  include  the  reading  of  the  President's 
Thanksgiving  proclamation  by  a  pupil,  papers  or  recita- 
tions by  pupils,  or  brief  addresses  by  teachers  or  others 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  317 

on  the  subjects  of  the  first  Thanksgiving,  when  red  men 
and  white  men  joined  in  praise;  the  reading  of  Governor 
Bradford's  proclamation  for  the  first  official  celebration 
of  Thanksgiving  in  Plymouth  Colony,  November  29,  1623; 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles;  old-time  Thanksgiving  customs, 
present-day  causes  for  thanksgiving;  recitation  of  some 
Psalm  (such  as  the  147th  or  104th),  or  "thanks"  verses 
by  pupils  and  classes  or  departments,  the  story  of  Ruth; 
songs  of  praise,  a  national  song,  and  the  "Doxology" 
surely. 

Sheets  of  paper  may  be  distributed  the  Sunday  preced- 
ing, on  which  the  pupils  will  write  their  own  reasons  for 
thanksgiving,  or  reasons  for  thanksgiving  as  a  nation,  a 
community,  a  school,  or  a  class,  the  best  of  these  to  be  read 
the  following  Sunday.  The  stereopticon  may  be  used  to 
show  pictures  of  early  scenes  in  national  history,  such  as 
the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims;  and  the  pastor  may  draw  a  few 
lessons  from  these. 

Since  the  war  Thanksgiving  has  taken  on  a  new  mean- 
ing, as  November  is  armistice  month.  America's  special 
obligation  to  the  world,  as  the  almoner  of  God's  bounty, 
should  be  emphasized. 

Thanksgiving  lends  itself  peculiarly  to  pageantry  and 
may  make  use  of  material  from  the  Bible,  scenes  from 
Puritan  days,  and  more  recent  events. 

A  harvest-home  concert  preceding  Thanksgiving  Day  is 
another  way  of  awakening  interest  and  securing  supplies 
for  distribution  to  the  poor  and  to  institutions.  The  ad- 
mission fee  may  be  graded  from  potatoes  to  turkeys,  so 
that  all  ages  will  have  a  part. 

An  excellent  plan  for  Thanksgiving  Sunday  is  to  prepare 
the  program  about  the  Bible  "Feast  of  Tabernacles,"  which 
is  the  prototype  for  Thanksgiving  Day.  A  booth  of  ever- 
greens twined  about  birch  saplings  and  covered  with  oak 
boughs  or  cedar  branches  and  open  to  the  front  will  be  of 
interest.  The  exercises  will  be  ushered  in  with  the  blare  of 
trumpets  or  cornets,  the  school  marching  in  to  music.    The 


318  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

story  of  Israel's  bondage  and  deliverance  should  be  told  by 
pupils;  then  the  story  of  the  Pilgrims;  then  the  pupils, 
as  the  successors  of  both,  should  march  to  the  platform  to 
the  music  of  the  cornet  and  deposit  their  offerings  within 
or  without  the  booth, 

5.  Christmas.  The  time  of  the  observance  will  be  gov- 
erned by  local  customs.  Some  schools  take  Christmas  Eve, 
others  Christmas  morning.  Many  take  the  Sunday  nearest 
Christmas,  the  school  joining  in  the  morning  church  serv- 
ice, with  the  Christmas  lesson,  Christmas  songs,  and  Christ- 
mas emphasis  in  the  school  service,  and  reserving  possibly 
until  the  evening  the  Christmas  giving  and  special  exercises 
which  we  associate  most  closely  with  the  Christmas  festival. 
An  afternoon  should  be  given  to  the  Cradle  Roll  and  the 
Beginners'  Department,  and  the  evening  to  the  other  depart- 
ments. In  my  own  school  we  have  graded  Christmas 
exercises  extending  through  Christmas  week.  The  Cradle 
Roll,  Beginners'  and  Primary  Departments  hold  three  sepa- 
rate entertainments  on  an  afternoon.  The  Junior,  Inter- 
mediate, Senior,  and  Adult  Departments  have  different 
evenings,  the  Home  Department  meeting  with  the  Inter- 
mediate. 

Pupils  should  be  trained  in  a  few  of  the  old  Christmas 
carols,  to  be  sung  from  house  to  house,  following  the  old 
custom,  and  for  use  also  in  the  community-Christmas-tree 
celebration. 

(1)  Santa  Glaus. — As  to  the  question  of  the  place  of 
Santa  Claus  in  the  Christmas  exercises  the  tide  of  senti- 
ment is  swinging  quite  surely  to  the  plan  of  giving  Christ 
his  rightful  place  in  the  festival  of  his  birth.  It  is  ad- 
mitted that  the  myth  and  mystery  of  Santa  Claus  have  a 
universal  grip  upon  the  child  mind.  Many  schools  find  a 
place  for  him  in  the  exercises  which  subordinates  him  to 
the  recognition  of  Christ  and  makes  him  the  almoner  of 
the  love  gifts  of  the  Christmastide.  The  question,  however, 
arises,  How  far  should  the  Sunday  school,  the  highest  au- 
thority in  the  child's  world  next  to  its  parents,  give  credence 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  319 

to  a  myth?  Many  parents,  while  not  disabusing  the  child's 
mind  of  the  fun  of  believing  in  Santa  Claus,  are  careful 
not  to  make  any  direct  statement  as  to  him  which  could 
be  construed  by  the  child  later  as  a  lie,  and  these  parents 
object  to  the  Sunday  school's  taking  a  position  on  what 
seems  to  them  a  moral  question,  which  may  be  contrary 
to  the  home  position.  Certain  it  is  that  beyond  the  primary 
grades  children  are  not  deceived  as  to  Santa  Claus,  and 
his  introduction  into  the  departments  from  the  junior  up 
is  likely  to  lower  the  respect  of  the  pupil  for  the  school  and 
to  excite  ridicule  rather  than  approval.  Is  it  not  time  that 
the  Sunday  school  should  outgrow  its  swaddling  clothes 
and  dignify  its  work? 

(2)  Decorations. — Christmas  is  supremely  the  oppor- 
tunity of  the  Sunday-school  artist.  The  material  is  all  at 
hand,  and  cheaply,  in  the  greens,  cedar,  holly,  laurel,  crepe 
paper,  poinsettias,  paper  bells,  silver  stars  for  overhead, 
tinted  pop-corn,  cotton,  mica,  and  diamond  dust.  Some 
imagination  and  skill  can  give  most  beautiful  results.  It  is 
a  good  plan  to  give  each  class  a  definite  part  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  required  Christmas  material. 

(3)  Program. — Christmas  cantatas,  programs,  and  recita- 
tions are  numerous.  Often  they  will  require  adaptation. 
Good  drilling,  of  course,  is  an  essential  to  smoothness  in 
results.  The  "Prince  of  Peace"  as  a  theme  will  long  have 
a  place  after  the  war. 

If  a  printed  service  is  not  followed,  these  suggestions  may 
be  helpful:  The  whole  Christmas  story  read  by  a  good 
reader.  Questions  and  answers  on  the  Christmas  facts. 
Brief  talks  on  such  subjects  as  "The  Origin  of  Christmas," 
"The  Results  of  Christ's  Coming,"  and  "The  Lands  Without 
a  Christmas."  The  rendition  of  Christmas  memory  verses 
and  an  impressive  reading  of  the  Scripture  story.  The 
reading  by  an  elocutionist  of  such  fascinating  Christmas 
stories  as  TTie  Story  of  a  Christmas  Dollar,  by  Jacob  Riis; 
Longfellow's  The  Three  Kings  and  I  Heard  the  Bells  on 
Christmas  Day;  Story  of  the  Star,  Kingsley;    The  Other 


320  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Wise  Man,  by  Henry  van  Dyke;  The  Birds'  Christmas 
Carol,  by  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin;  The  Christrnas  Carol,  by 
Dickens;  and  selections  from  Ben  Hur.  The  singing  of 
such  carols  as  "There's  a  Song  in  the  Air,"  "Brightest  and 
Best  of  the  Sons  of  the  Morning,"  "Silent  Night!  Holy 
Night!"  "Once  in  David's  Royal  City,"  "Thou  Didst  Leave 
Thy  Throne,"  "O  Little  Town  of  Bethlehem,"  "We  Three 
Kings,"  "Come,  All  Ye  Faithful."  "The  Pastoral  Sym- 
phony" from  "The  Messiah"  should  be  played,  and  parts 
of  "The  Messiah"  sung  as  solos  or  chorus. 

A  representation  of  the  inn  at  Bethlehem,  the  background 
painted  with  outlines  of  Eastern  houses,  palms  in  the  fore- 
ground, can  be  used  for  the  development  of  the  story. 
Christmas  trees,  suspended,  collapsible,  and  revolving,  may 
be  arranged  with  wire,  ropes,  pulleys,  and  ingenuity.  Pic- 
tures of  the  Nativity  may  be  used  to  decorate  the  walls, 
the  lights  may  be  softened  with  blue  or  red  crepe  paper, 
and  stars  may  be  cut  out  of  an  overhang  of  blue  muslin. 

Christmas  pageants  in  recent  years  have  been  produced 
in  many  fascinating  forms.  Lists  may  be  found  in  The 
Church  School  (New  York  City),  including  suggestions  as 
to  costumes. 

Stereopticon  pictures  relating  to  the  Christmas  story, 
with  appropriate  songs,  will  interest.  Use  a  phonograph 
with  Christmas  selections  or  use  glasses  or  bells  for  chime 
effects.  Have  the  Scripture  story  recited  and  illustrated 
by  young  people  representing  the  shepherds  and  the  Magi, 
with  songs  by  a  school  choir. 

A  "white  Christmas"  may  include  the  snow  scenes,  deco- 
rations in  white  and  green;  those  reciting  dressed  in  white, 
the  gifts  consisting  of  articles  of  white  and  being  deposited 
in  a  huge  snowball  of  cotton  and  diamond  powder.  The 
school  gifts  should  be  tied  in  white  ribbon.  A  "red  Christ- 
mas" or  a  "green  Christmas"  may  aim  for  similar  results. 
"Christmas  Among  the  Nations"  may  be  presented  in  many 
picturesque  ways. 

In  the  Bedford  Presbyterian  Sunday  School  of  Brooklyn 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  321 

a  map  of  the  world  was  exhibited  showing  the  area  of  non- 
Christian  religions;  then  an  electric  light  shone  through 
a  break  in  the  map  at  Bethlehem.  Gilt  stars  on  Africa, 
India,  China,  and  other  lands  showed  the  progress  of  the 
cross  in  the  non-Christian  countries.  Young  people  in 
costumes  of  Syria,  Africa,  Japan,  and  Korea  told  the  story 
of  what  Christ's  coming  had  accomplished  for  them  and 
their  people. 

"The  Spirit  of  Christmas"  program  of  living  pictures  and 
songs  was  given  by  the  classes  of  a  California  school.  On 
the  platform  was  a  frame  9x12  feet.  Around  the  inner 
edges  were  electric  lights,  the  rays  turned  backward  upon 
the  group  forming  the  picture.  Two  thicknesses  of  pale- 
blue  tarlatan  were  stretched  tight  over  the  front,  so  that 
the  pictures  were  seen  through  the  gauze,  producing  a 
softening  effect.  Back  of  the  frame  a  section  of  the  plat- 
form was  inclosed  completely  by  stretching  black  paper 
upon  a  boxlike  framework.  Bach  group  posed  in  this  black 
box,  the  only  light  coming  from  the  electric  lights  in  the 
frame  in  front  of  them.  Curtains  were  stretched  over  the 
platform.  The  program  expressed  "The  Spirit  of  Adora- 
tion"; "The  Spirit  of  Giving";  "The  Spirit  of  Service";  and 
"The  Spirit  of  Liberty."  Under  each  of  these  sections 
there  were  three  or  four  tableaux.  For  instance:  "Mother 
and  Child,"  song:  "Silent  Night!  Holy  Night!";  "Children 
Around  the  Manger,"  song:  "Come,  All  Ye  Faithful";  "The 
Shepherds  and  the  Star,"  song:  "Shepherds  in  the  Field 
Abiding";  "The  Visit  of  the  Wise  Men,"  song:  "There's 
a  Song  in  the  Air."  In  the  second  section:  "Gift  of  Bread" 
(America  to  children  of  Bible  lands),  song:  "Break  Thou 
the  Bread  of  Life";  "Red  Cross  Knitters,"  song:  "To  the 
Work."  The  scenes  were  worked  out  from  well-known 
paintings,  magazine  covers,  and  illustrations.  The  song 
illustrating  the  next  number  was  sung  while  the  lights 
were  turned  on  and  the  groups  were  getting  in  place. 

Graded   Christmas   parties  are  increasingly  popular  for 
week  afternoons  and  evenings.    One  school,  the  First  Meth- 


322  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

odist  Episcopal  of  Oakland,  California,  had  these  in  three 
divisions.  The  Children's  Division  met  on  an  afternoon 
with  the  mothers.  Cradle  Roll  children  received  gifts  of 
cambric  books  from  the  tree.  After  the  primary  children 
had  their  exercises,  a  door  was  thrown  open  into  another 
room.  Clotheslines  were  hung  with  stockings  of  mosquito 
netting  with  gifts.  Individual  class  tables  were  set  with 
red  apples  in  the  center,  around  these  a  row  of  red  candles 
all  lighted,  around  these  sticks  of  red  and  white  candy 
arranged  like  muskets  in  stacks  of  three.  The  dishes,  blue 
Japanese  mush  bowls,  were  filled  with  sugared  pop-corn. 
On  the  edge  was  a  card  with  a  grace  before  meals,  to  be 
said  by  the  little  ones  at  home  whenever  the  dish  was 
used.  The  juniors  were  given  blue-and-white  salt  shakers, 
with  a  card  telling  of  the  friendship  covenant  of  salt,  com- 
mon in  Bible  lands.  The  teen-age  pupils  held  their  affair 
in  the  evening,  with  tableaux,  and  the  gifts  came  from  an 
express  office  arranged  in  the  room,  upon  the  presentation 
of  the  pupils'  claim  checks.  The  adult  evening  entertain- 
ment consisted  of  phonograph  music,  games,  tableaux,  and 
stunts  by  the  young  men's  and  women's  classes.  The  gifts 
came  from  the  express  office. 

(4)  Christmas  giving. — Christmas  getting  is  being  sub- 
ordinated to  Christmas  giving  in  large  numbers  of  the 
schools  of  our  land,  and  the  "more  blessed"  of  the  Master 
is  having  its  sweet  fruitage  where  thoughtless  selfishness 
formerly  had  the  right  of  way.  A  school  is  out  of  date 
which  does  not  now  plan  definitely  for  giving  by  its  mem- 
bers at  Christmastime  for  those  less  fortunate.  The  giving 
of  teachers  to  pupils  and  pupils  to  teachers  must  be  left 
to  the  classes. 

Some  schools  plan  by  vote  of  the  school  to  devote  all  the 
money  formerly  expended  on  the  school  treat  to  the  help  of 
worthy  causes,  the  classes  in  addition  bringing  their  gifts 
for  designated  objects.  The  joy  in  such  giving  is  large. 
Other  schools,  while  making  much  of  the  giving  to  others, 
find  that  their  pupils,   young  and  old,   cherish  the   small 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  323 

school  gift,  the  box  with  its  Christmas  inscription  from  the 
school,  and  the  superintendent's  or  pastor's  picture  thereon 
as  a  souvenir;  and  so  combine  the  giving  and  receiving. 
This  box  may  be  in  bank  form,  to  be  used  in  preparing  for 
Easter  gifts,  thus  linking  Christmas  with  Easter. 

The  giving  will  follow  the  exercises.  A  usual  and  inter- 
esting form  is  for  the  classes  to  bring  their  gifts  to  the 
platform  dressed  in  some  form  to  correspond  with  the 
character  of  the  gift.  Thus,  girls  dressed  as  nurses  will 
bring  sheets  and  pillowcases ;  miller  or  Jack  Frost  boys 
will  bring  bags  or  barrels  of  flour;  farmer  boys,  vegetables; 
Indians,  blankets;  miners,  coal;  Mother  Hubbard,  gro- 
ceries; Little  Red  Riding  Hood,  clothing;  George  Washing- 
ton, Washington  crisps;  Arabs,  coffee;  washerwomen, 
soap;  Quaker  girls,  cereals;  waitresses,  cocoa;  Japanese 
girls,  tea;  maidens  from  Spotless  Town,  sapolio ;  each  re- 
citing some  rime  in  harmony  with  the  dress  or  the  object. 

It  is  for  the  superintendent  and  teachers  with  the  com- 
mittee to  plan  for  the  objectives  in  giving  and  then  an- 
nounce them  to  the  pupils.  The  committee  may  make  out 
a  list  of  suggested  objects  (the  list  to  be  given  the  depart- 
ments and  classes),  such  as  a  hospital,  an  orphanage,  a 
lodging  house,  a  prison,  a  poorhouse,  poor  families,  a  sum- 
mer home;  an  asylum  for  the  blind,  crippled,  deaf,  or  dis- 
eased; a  struggling  student,  a  dispensary,  a  Bible  woman  or 
a  student  in  a  foreign  land.  Games,  groceries,  and  supplies 
of  all  sorts  may  figure  in  this  giving.  Pupils  should  be 
encouraged  to  earn  the  money  or  to  make  the  gifts,  such 
as  picture  books,  doll  houses,  corn-cob  dolls  (with  hair  of 
corn  silk  and  clothing  of  husks),  or  dolls  with  faces  made 
from  walnut  or  hickory-nut  shells,  with  features  inked  on. 

Unique  forms  of  giving,  the  gifts  being  in  cash,  add  in- 
terest to  the  exercises.  One  department  covered  a  large 
star  with  new  bills.  Another  covered  with  bills  an  outline 
of  the  summer  home  to  which  the  gifts  went.  One  class 
hung  a  dollar  bill  at  the  bottom  of  each  one  of  the  letters 
of  the  class  name.    Another  presented  the  gift  in  a  wigwam. 


324  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

another  in  a  canoe;  another  class,  through  three  members 
dressed  as  "Wise  Men,  their  gifts  being  gold,  frankincense, 
and  myrrh.  A  signed  pledge  of  service  of  the  gift  of  self, 
of  service,  of  substance,  was  laid  at  the  foot  of  a  cross  by 
each  class. 

A  Christmas  windmill  was  built  by  an  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, Sunday  school,  with  a  wing  for  each  department. 
The  beginners'  wing  was  first  put  on.  As  these  turned, 
the  departments  in  succession  came  to  the  door  of  the 
mill,  presented  their  gifts,  and  then  gave  their  recitations 
and  songs.  The  gifts  were  presented  by  some  classes  in 
costume,   according   to   their    character. 

One  school  placed  its  gifts  in  a  manger,  over  which  hung 
a  star.  Another  school  used  a  ship,  in  which  were  twelve 
boys  to  receive  gifts  for  the  European  sufferers. 

One  superintendent  carried  through  a  Christmas  tithing 
plan.  On  Thanksgiving  Day  he  gave  to  each  pupil  a 
^'thankful"  dime,  to  be  a  "talent"  to  be  improved  for  the 
Christmas  offering.  This  offering  was  to  go  one  tenth  for 
the  Christmas  treat,  one  half  of  the  remainder  for  foreign 
missions,  and  one  half  for  the  poor.  Prom  $9  the  dimes 
grew  to  $142.18  by  Christmas. 

6.  Patriotic  days.  (1)  Independence  Day. — The  Sun- 
day nearest  to  July  4  should  be  emphasized  by  a  special 
program.  Piety  and  patriotism  are  twin  virtues.  They 
need  cultivation  now  as  well  as  in  Old  Testament  times. 
The  battles  of  the  Republic  are  not  all  fought.  Her  foes 
are  not  all  dead.  The  heroic  days  are  not  ended.  Intem- 
perance, corruption,  greed,  and  graft  in  all  their  forms 
must  be  antagonized.  The  call  to-day  is  for  heroes  among 
our  youth  who  will  fight  and,  if  need  be,  die  in  a  righteous 
cause.  Independence  Day  is  the  opportune  time  for  such 
enlistment. 

Independence  Day  and  all  other  patriotic  Sundays  should 
be  made  the  occasion  to  carry  the  message  of  Christian 
patriotism  to  the  children  of  foreigners  who  may  be  in  our 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  325 

Sunday  schools  and  to  their  parents,  who  should  be  spe- 
cially invited.  On  these  days  addresses  on  true  American- 
ism should  be  made,  the  flag  saluted,  and  the  pledges  of 
allegiance  to  the  American  and  Christian  flags  recited. 
The  Bible,  as  the  basis  of  all  true  human  and  national  free- 
dom and  morality  and  character,  should  be  exalted. 

Through  these  occasions  American  young  people  in  our 
Sunday  schools  should  be  urged  to  do  their  part  in  fighting 
ignorance,  injustice,  race  prejudice,  and  anarchy,  the  ene- 
mies of  to-day  in  this  and  other  lands. 

(2)  Lincoln's  Birthday  Sunday. — Lincoln's  temperance 
statements  may  be  used  in  emphasizing  temperance.  His 
picture  should  be  in  place  and  draped.  Several  of  his  say- 
ings should  be  put  in  form  large  enough  to  be  read  in  any 
part  of  the  room.  The  program  may  be  enriched  by  the 
singing  of  "The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic";  the  recita- 
tion of  Whitman's  "My  Captain,"  Lowell's  "The  Martyr 
Chief,"  and  extracts  from  President  Roosevelt  on  Lincoln; 
Lincoln's  favorite  song,  "My  Mission";  and  the  recitation 
of  his  favorite  poem,  "O  Why  Should  the  Spirit  of  Mortal 
be  Proud?"  His  Gettysburg  address  should  be  read  in  con- 
cert. Lincoln's  use  of  the  Bible  may  be  brought  out  through 
the  story  of  the  absorption  of  the  Book  in  his  earlier  days 
and  quotations  from  his  great  addresses. 

If  printed  programs  are  used  for  Lincoln  Day  they 
should  reproduce  his  picture  and  quotations  from  his  ad- 
dresses. The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  of 
Oakland,  California,  made  Lincoln  Day  a  Boys'  Day  pro- 
gram. Boys  prepared  and  circulated  the  invitations,  gave 
talks  on  Lincoln  as  a  mere  boy,  Lincoln  as  an  older  boy, 
Lincoln  as  a  man,  and  Lincoln  stories.  The  decorations 
were  of  red-white-and-blue  bunting,  and  a  beautiful  picture 
of  Lincoln  was  flanked  by  palms.  The  boys  acted  as  a  re- 
ception committee  and  as  ushers  and  sang  two  choruses. 

(3)  Washington's  Birthday  Sunday. — This  is  an  oppor- 
tunity to  impress  home  missions  by  the  contrast  between 
Washington's  day  and  this,  showing  the  steps  in  national 


326  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

progress,  and  the  reforms  in  national  life  due  to  the  per- 
meating influence  of  the  Bible.  Washington's  farewell  ad- 
dress may  he  made  the  basis  of  teaching  the  value  of  re- 
ligion and  the  Bible  in  nation  building,  and  quotations 
from  that  address  should  be  read.  "0  Beautiful  for  Spa- 
cious Skies,"  "Faith  of  Our  Fathers,"  and  other  appro- 
priate songs  will  of  course  be  sung. 

Washington  the  boy  should  be  given  a  hearing  through 
the  emphasis  upon  basic  qualities  of  character,  such  as 
"obedience,  self-control,  improvement  of  opportunities,  fair 
play,  self-reliance,  politeness,  reverence,  and  willing  service 
to  God  and  man,"  his  "moral  as  well  as  physical  courage," 
and  "the  grand  old  virtues  of  modesty,  simplicity,  purity 
of  heart  and  mind,  dignity,  propriety,  and  truth"  which 
the  boy  exemplified. 

(4)  Memorial  Day  Sunday. — This  is  a  good  day  to  im- 
press reverence  for  the  past,  a  quality  needed  by  our  Amer- 
ican young  people.  Israel's  memorial  altars  would  be  a 
good  Scriptural  basis,  suggesting  the  stress  put  by  Je- 
hovah upon  a  remembrance  of  his  dealings  with  his  people. 
While  Memorial  Day  somberness  should  be  avoided  in  ex- 
ercises for  young  people,  there  are  recountals  of  the  un- 
selfish service  of  patriots  of  the  sword  and  in  civic  and 
home  life  which  will  stir  to  emulation.  A  wealth  of  ma- 
terial coming  out  of  the  war  is  available  for  this  Sunday. 
"In  Flanders  Fields,"  McCrae,  and  "America's  Answer," 
Lillard,  are  suggestive  of  this. 

It  will  be  a  good  time  for  the  superintendent  to  read  the 
list  of  those  of  the  school  who  have  died  during  the  year 
and  those  who  died  during  the  war,  with  any  choice  word 
that  will  keep  their  memory  fragrant.  The  mothers  and 
fathers  of  the  latter  should  be  especially  honored.  The 
"in  memoriam"  list  of  teachers  and  pupils  should  be 
draped.  Classes  should  bear  flowers  to  the  graves  of  the 
class  dead   "in  remembrance." 

Memorial  Sunday  is  a  good  time  to  bring  to  the  front 
the  veterans  of  the  land,  the  sea,  and  the  air,  and  to  link 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  327 

the  sacrifices  of  the  past  to  service  to-day.  In  the  Highland 
Methodist  Sunday  School,  Birmingham,  Alabama,  the  flags 
of  the  allies  were  massed  on  the  platform.  Before  these  in 
the  center  of  the  platform  stood  a  tall  white  cross,  un- 
adorned. Sixteen  junior  girls  in  red,  with  the  red  veil  of 
service,  formed  a  living  Red  Cross  just  below  the  cross.  A 
young  woman  in  the  white  garb  of  a  nurse  stood  beside 
the  cross  and  recited  "The  Red  Cross  and  the  White,"  by 
Burton  N.  Palmer.  A  soldier  unfurled  the  colors,  they 
were  saluted,  then  the  Christian  flag  was  brought  forward 
by  a  young  woman  in  white  and  saluted.  The  service  flag 
then  appeared,  and  all  sang  "God  bless  our  men." 

7.  Mother's  or  Parents'  Day.  The  thought  of  Moth- 
er's Day,  the  second  Sunday  of  May,  originated  with  Miss 
Anna  Jarvis,  of  Philadelphia.  A  white  carnation  is  to  be 
worn  on  that  day  in  memory  of  mother,  and  a  letter  writ- 
ten her,  or  a  telephone  message  sent,  or  some  recognition 
made.  Sunday  schools  are  widely  recognizing  the  day  by 
a  special  mothers'  service.  The  program  seeks  to  honor 
motherhood  through  the  use  of  appropriate  songs.  Scrip- 
ture selections,  and  choice  quotations  and  recitations. 
Many  poems  concerning  mothers  have  come  out  of  the  war. 
Copies  of  the  masters  dealing  with  motherhood  and  the 
home  should  be  hung  about  the  school.  "Mothers  of  His- 
tory" should  be  prepared  and  read  by  a  girl.  Sometimes  a 
day  in  June  is  taken  for  Parents'  Day,  and  a  red  rose 
pinned  on  each  parent  present.  Mother's  Day  invitations, 
paper  carnations,  pins,  decorations,  and  posters  can  be 
obtained  of  Sunday-school  supply  houses.  One  school  used 
as  a  decoration  a  large  star  against  a  square  white  back- 
ground trimmed  with  evergreen.  At  the  center  of  the 
star  were  the  words  "Mother's  Love,"  and  at  each  point  of 
the  star  "Patience,  Sacrifice,  Forgiveness,  Confidence, 
Prayer."  The  meaning  of  Mother's  Day,  the  meaning  of 
the  carnation,  should  be  made  clear.  General  program 
suggestions  for  the  day  can  be  obtained  through  the  usual 
supply  house  and  denominational  channels.     A  carnation 


328  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

salute  is  sometimes  given  to  the  mothers  present.  Gold- 
star mothers  may  be  recognized.  Flowers  and  plants  used 
in  the  decorations  may  afterward  be  sent  to  gold-star 
mothers. 

One  school  superintendent  asked  some  of  the  capable 
mothers  to  plan  and  carry  through  the  whole  program. 
These  mothers  responded,  cared  for  the  decorations,  pro- 
vided special  music  and  the  flowers,  and  gave  two  ad- 
dresses: "What  Mother  Does  for  the  Sunday  School,"  and 
"What  Mothers  Expect  the  Sunday  School  to  Do  for  the 
Children";  and  sang  together  the  song  "Take  My  Life  and 
Let  It  Be." 

Mothers  might  present  to  the  school  and  unveil  on 
Mother's  Day  an  appropriate  picture,  such  as  Sichel's  "Ma- 
donna and  Child."  A  mother's  prayer  on  that  day  will 
carry  further  than  any  sermons.  On  the  evening  of 
Mother's  Day  the  young  women  of  the  school,  in  white, 
may  act  as  ushers. 

In  one  school  the  teen-age  classes  took  entire  charge  of 
Mother's  Day  advertising,  program,  decorations,  and  at- 
tendance. The  three  classes  that  brought  the  largest  per- 
centage of  mothers  came  to  the  platform  with  the  mothers. 
These  young  people  provided  automobiles  for  some  mothers 
who  could  not  otherwise  attend.  The  boys  sang  "Tell 
Mother  I'll  Be  There."  A  young  man  recited  "My  Mother." 
A  chain  of  Bible  verses  concerning  "Mother"  was  repeated. 
A  mother  sang  ','My  Jesus,  I  Love  Thee."  Six  white  pen- 
nants spelled  the  word  "Mother." 

The  Philadelphia  Sunday  School  Association  promoted 
mother-and-daughter  days  for  Mother's  Sunday  in  May  and 
the  Tuesday  following.  The  joint  program  issued  in  de- 
tail by  the  association  to  schools  was  termed  "The  Mother- 
Daughter  Friendship  Circle."  The  Sunday  program  in- 
cluded a  sermon  to  mothers  in  the  morning  and  to  daugh- 
ters in  the  evening.  The  daughters  acted  as  ushers.  Both 
morning  and  evening  a  brief  talk  was  given  by  a  mother 
or  a  daughter.    The  Sunday-school  session  was  opened  with 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  329 

prayer  by  a  mother.  A  daughter  presided.  The  Scripture 
reading  was  by  a  daughter,  a  solo  by  a  mother,  and  a  duet 
by  a  mother  and  daughter.  A  daughter  announced  a 
Tuesday-evening  banquet  for  mothers  and  daughters.  The 
visiting  mothers  attended  their  daughters'  classes.  A  girls' 
orchestra  played  the  selections.  The  story  of  great  woman 
Bible  characters  was  by  a  girl.  A  mother  gave  a  short 
talk,  and  a  daughter  read  a  poem  tribute  to  "Mother." 

8.  Other  special  days.  (1)  Promotion  Day. — This  may 
be  also  the  school's  Honor  Day,  or  the  school  anniversary, 
which  is  a  very  important  day  in  the  life  of  Sunday  schools, 
in  Great  Britain  especially.  It  is  made  the  time  for  a  great 
reunion  of  old  members  and  new. 

Promotion  Day  plans  and  programs  have  been  fully  dealt 
with  under  Chapter  VIII. 

(2)  New  Year's  Day. — This  is  made  a  social  day  at  the 
school  through  the  reception  of  pupils  and  parents  by  the 
officers  and  teachers. 

(3)  Installation  Day. — This  is  an  annual  event  following 
the  election  of  the  school  oflEicers.  It  may  include  the  teach- 
ers and  be  followed  by  a  consecration  service.  Suggestions 
as  to  this  service  are  found  in  Chapter  XII. 

(4)  Home  Department  Day. — In  Chapter  XVI  plans  for 
this  day  are  suggested.  The  purpose  is  to  extend  the  Home 
Department  idea,  tie  home  and  school  and  church  together, 
and  bring  about  better  religious  education  in  the  home. 
The  Home  Department  report  should  be  given  in  an  in- 
teresting way,  and  the  Home  Department  visitors  act  as 
an  acquaintance  committee. 

(5)  Palm  Sunday. — This  is  used  by  many  schools  as  an 
"Acknowledgment  Day,"  when  pupils  are  encouraged  to 
make  confession  of  Christ  as  Lord  and  King,  preparatory 
to  their  journey  to  the  church  on  Easter  Sunday.  More 
than  five  thousand  of  the  pupils  of  Brooklyn  Sunday 
schools  joined  the  church  on  Easter  as  the  result  of  a  con- 
certed use  of  Palm  Sunday  as  Acknowledgment  Day.  The 
program  material  is  found  in  the  story  of  Christ's  entry 


SSO  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Into  Jerusalem,  in  "The  Palms"  for  orchestra,  or  Solos,  or 
chorus,  and  in  Scripture  and  song  references  to  Christ  as 
King.  The  decorations  should  be  in  green  and,  where 
possible,  palms  will  of  course  be  used. 

(6)  College  Sunday. — The  first  Sunday  in  the  new  year 
Is  sometimes  used  as  College  Day,  when  students  are  home. 
The  Dayton  Avenue  Presbyterian  Sunday  School,  Saint 
Paul,  Minnesota,  took  advantage  of  that  day  to  send  to  all 
pupils  an  announcement,  attached  to  which  was  an  invita- 
tion to  be  handed  to  any  college  students  about  the  city. 
Of  course,  old  pupils  who  had  been  to  college  were  invited. 
The  room  was  decorated  on  three  sides  with  college  pen- 
nants and  banners — one  hundred  in  all.  The  vocal  and 
instrumental  music  was  furnished  by  the  glee  clubs  of  four 
local  colleges.  Then  came  the  lesson  during  which  the 
students  were  in  classes.  The  reception  committee,  as  well 
as  students,  wore  college  colors. 

The  day  is  most  important  in  its  effect  upon  prospective 
college  students  in  the  school  and  in  keeping  a  grip  upon 
the  old  members  who  should  return  after  the  college  days 
as  leaders  in  the  old  school.  Lists  of  such  students,  with 
the  year  of  their  graduation,  should  be  kept  and  carefully 
followed  up. 

College  Day,  too,  is  observed  as  a  day  when  Sunday- 
school  leaders  shall  go  to  the  local  college,  set  before  stu- 
dents the  greatness  of  Sunday-school  service,  and  challenge 
such  service  and  attendance  upon  the  local  school  while 
in  college.  College  representatives  are  sent  as  well  as  the 
Sunday  school  on  that  day  to  make  the  appeal  for  students 
for  the  college. 

Bibliography 

Special  Days  in  the  Sunday  School,  Sutherland. 
Special  Days  in  the  Sunday  School,  Lawrance. 

Topic   for   Special  Study 
The  best  programs  for  the  principal  special  days. 


SPECIAL  DAYS  IN  THE  SCHOOL  331 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  constitutes  an  appropriate  Easter  program? 

2.  What  is  the  object  of  the  Children's  Day  offering? 

3.  What   are    several   ways    of    securing    Rally    Day    at- 
tendance? 

4.  For  what  board  is  the  offering  of  the  day  taken? 

5.  How  can  Rally  Week  be  observed?  " 

6.  Suggest  a  few  items  for  a  Thanksgiving  program. 

7.  What   should   be   the   school's   plan   as   to   Christmas 
giving? 

8.  Name  two  program  points  each  for  Lincoln's  Birthday, 
Washington's  Birthday,  and  Memorial  Day  Sunday. 

9.  What  is  the  purpose  of  Mother's  Day? 

10.  What  is  the  advantage  in  College  Sunday? 


CHAPTER  XXII 
EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

The  Sunday  school  is  the  chief  field  for  recruiting  pres- 
ent and  future  church  members.  If  it  were  not  for  the 
accessions  from  the  Sunday  school,  the  church  in  a  few 
generations  would  cease  to  exist.  The  old  method  of  re- 
cruiting, through  the  annual  church  revival,  has  largely 
lost  its  effectiveness. 

Sunday-school  evangelism,  therefore,  is  the  most  impor- 
tant concern  of  the  pastor  and  of  the  superintendent.  The 
factors  that  enter  into  successful  evangelism  and  the 
methods  through  which  largest  results  can  be  secured  are 
worth  serious  study. 

1.  Sunday-school  atmosphere.  This  is  more  essential 
than  a  concerted  Decision  Day  effort.  Sunday  by  Sunday 
the  spiritual  impact  is  being  made  upon  the  pupil  by  the 
life,  words,  spirit,  and  genuine  love  for  Christ  and  souls 
upon  the  part  of  pastor,  superintendent,  and  teacher.  If 
these  are  absent,  no  decision  will  count  for  much  or  for 
long. 

Nothing  is  more  vital  in  the  making  of  this  atmosphere 
than  the  superintendent's  and  teacher's  personal  relation- 
ship to  Jesus  Christ.  That  relationship  will  find  its  ex- 
pression in  song,  prayer,  teaching,  and  service.  Religion 
is  a  life.  Our  presence  in  the  school  means — or  should 
mean — that  Christ  is  there  in  a  very  real  sense;  and  he 
cannot  be  there,  shining  through  our  eyes,  clasping  through 
our  hand,  gladdening  through  our  smile,  teaching  and  ap- 
pealing through  our  voice,  without  being  recognized  and 
desired  by  our  pupils. 

Such  an  apprehension  of  our  privilege  in  presenting 
332 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         333 

Christ  will  not  make  Decision  Day  an  abnormal  thing.  Any 
Sunday  school  may  be  and  should  be  an  opportunity  for 
decision  or  the  expression  of  a  purpose  toward  which  the 
life  has  been  steadily  ripening  under  the  influence  of  this 
school  atmosphere. 

2.  The  supreme  aim  of  the  Sunday  school.  This  is 
to  acquaint  every  pupil  with  Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour, 
Friend,  and  Lord,  through  the  Book  and  the  words  and 
life  of  the  superintendent,  pastor,  and  teachers;  to  inform 
in  Christian  knowledge;  and  to  nurture  and  train  in  Chris- 
tian living. 

It  is  a  crime  against  the  soul  of  a  pupil  not  to  give  him 
full  opportunity  to  know  Christ  before  he  shall  pass  twenty. 
The  home,  as  at  present  so  largely  constituted,  does  not 
give  him  that  chance.  If  the  Sunday  school  does  not  come 
into  the  breach,  the  probabilities  are  greatly  against  his 
realizing  a  Christian  character.  Where,  however,  the 
school  goal  is  kept  ever  in  view,  there  is  practical  cer- 
tainty that,  with  wise  leadership,  few  will  leave  the  school 
ranks  not  Christians;  for  God  has  done  so  well  his  part 
that  the  harvest  may  be  said  to  depend  entirely  on  us. 
This  is  not  to  minimize  the  contradictory  influence  of  the 
home;  but  despite  it  the  chances  favor  a  Christian  life 
where  the  school  faithfully  does  its  part. 

Between  ten  and  twenty,  and  principally  between  ten 
and  seventeen,  lie  the  years  of  decision.  Only  20  per  cent 
of  our  church  membership  is  recruited  after  twenty-one. 
The  average  age  of  conversion  is  said  to  be  sixteen  and 
four  tenths  years. 

These  figures,  which  can  be  confirmed  in  any  Sunday- 
school  convention  or  gathering  of  Christians,  point  clearly 
to  the  opportunity  and  obligation  of  the  school. 

The  general  experience  of  the  Sunday  school  points  to 
the  advantage  of  the  employment  of  one  or  more  days 
during  the  year  toward  which  to  focus  the  organized  effort 
of  the  school  for  a  harvest.  This  still  leaves  the  privilege 
of  accessions  month  by  month,  through  the  normal  work 


334  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

of  the  school;  and  such  accessions  indicate  the  spiritual 
vitality  of  the  school  even  more  than  a  large  ingathering 
through  concerted  effort. 

3.  Promoting  the  worker's  spiritual  life.  The  com- 
mittee on  evangelism  should  secure  a  small  library  of  such 
choice  hooks  and  leaflets  as  are  suggested  in  Plans  for 
Sunday  School  Evangelism,  Brown,  Chapter  XIV,  and  keep 
these  books  in  circulation  among  officers  and  teachers.  The 
superintendent  may  inclose  directly  to  teachers  and  officers, 
in  his  birthday  or  other  messages,  leaflets  that  will  tone 
up  the  spiritual  life  and  an  evangelistic  objective  in  the 
work  of  the  teachers  and  officers.  A  monthly  teachers' 
prayer  service  will  strengthen  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
workers.  A  covenant  should  be  entered  into  by  all  work- 
ers to  pray  daily  for  each  other  and  for  the  school. 

4.  Sunday-school  prayer  service.  Monthly  there 
should  be  a  bright,  brief  testimony  and  prayer  service  in 
the  school.  This  should  be  prepared  for  by  asking  some 
to  be  ready  with  brief  prayers,  some  with  appropriate 
Scripture,  and  some  with  testimony.  In  Mr.  Wanamaker's 
school  a  twenty-minute  prayer  meeting  follows  each  school 
session.  Opportunity  for  school  decision  should  be  given 
at  these  meetings.  Such  a  spirit  and  plan  will  make  for 
steady  accessions  to  the  church. 

5.  Before  coinmunion  Sunday.  On  the  Sunday  pre- 
ceding communion  the  pastor  should  speak  to  the  school 
concerning  the  opportunity  of  confessing  Christ  as  Saviour 
and  ask  that  pupils  see  him  (or  the  superintendent  or 
teacher)  as  to  the  step.  In  a  graded  school  this  appeal 
before  communion  Sunday  should  be  made  in  the  Junior 
and  older  departments  by  the  pastor  and  those  whom  he 
may  appoint. 

6.  Decision  Day.  This  day  has  also  been  termed  "En- 
listment Day,"  "Confession  Day,"  "Witnessing  Day,"  "For- 
ward Step  Day,"  and  "Acknowledgment  Day."  The  day 
has  grown  into  general  acceptance  as  a  point  or  points  to- 
ward which  to  focus  the  school's  spiritual  effort  for  the 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         335 

Christian  decision  of  its  young  people.  While  the  first 
Sunday  in  February  has  been  ordinarily  used  for  this  pur- 
pose, experience  has  demonstrated  that  other  days  are  just 
as  fruitful. 

There  are  good  reasons  for  using  several  days  as  special 
objectives  for  decision — some  of  these  seasonal,  when  na- 
ture is  also  making  its  appeal  in  harmony  with  the  inward 
call  of  the  Spirit.  The  first  or  second  Sunday  of  November, 
Christmas  Sunday,  the  first  Sunday  of  February,  Palm 
Sunday,  and  Children's  Day  may  be  profitably  used.  While 
in  my  own  church  every  month -'witnesses  a  number  of 
accessions  from  the  Sunday  school,  we  have  found  our 
largest  ingathering  in  recent  years  has  been  on  Christmas 
Sunday  and  Easter.  For  the  Christmas  campaign  we  have 
stressed  the  gift  of  ourselves  to  Christ,  and  Palm  Sunday 
and  Easter  make  a  special  appeal  to  young  people.  We 
add  about  one  hundred  from  the  school  on  each  of  these 
days.  After  the  right  appeal  acknowledgment  cards  are 
distributed  on  Palm  Sunday. 

Decision  Day  should  be  the  culmination  of  several  weeks 
of  preparation  through  letter,  prayer,  and  conversation  on 
the  part  of  pastor,  superintendent,  and  teacher.  If  the 
actual  decisions  have  been  secured  prior  to  Decision  Day, 
the  school  sometimes  observes  Decision  Day  as  "Witnessing 
Day." 

7.  Planiting  for  the  day.  The  committee  on  evan- 
gelism or  the  superintendent  should  have  a  list  of  the 
school  membership  by  classes  above  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment and  check  off  against  each  name  whether  or  not  the 
pupil  is  a  Christian  or  church  member.  The  school  sec- 
retary should  supply  the  lists,  and  the  teacher  the  in- 
formation. 

The  pastor  may  prepare  the  parents  for  cooperation  in 
the  week-night  prayer  service  or  the  Sunday  sermon.  One 
pastor  sent  a  personal  letter  before  Children's  Day  to  each 
nonchurch  member  in  the  school,  asking  for  a  personal 
talk  at  the  parsonage.    As  a  result  nearly  the  entire  num- 


336  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ber  joined  the  church.  Or  the  pastor  and  superintendent 
may  send  a  joint  letter  to  the  parents,  asking  them,  if  un- 
converted, for  their  own  decisions  for  Christ  and  their 
help  in  winning  their  children  for  Christ. 

The  superintendent  and  pastor  may  join  in  a  letter  to 
each  non-Christian  pupil,  tenderly  urging  his  decision  for 
Christ. 

Writing  a  letter  to  the  teacher,  urging  cooperation  in 
the  plans  and  prayer  for  the  school,  the  pupils,  and  the 
home  for  Decision  Day  is  one  of  the  great  opportunities 
of  the  superintendent.  Forms  of  such  letters  to  parents, 
pupils,  and  teachers  may  be  found  in  Plans  for  Sunday 
School   Evangelism,    Brown,    Chapter    X. 

For  several  weeks  before  Decision  Day  officers  and  teach- 
ers should  meet  for  prayer  for  the  empowerment  of  the 
Spirit  and  to  discuss  the  best  methods  of  approach  to  the 
pupil.  The  suggested  plan  may  be  to  approach  the  pupil 
individually,  and  not  in  the  presence  of  others;  to  think 
out  the  best  individual  approach;  not  to  press  church 
membership  in  the  appeal,  but  rather  to  bring  the  pupil 
face  to  face  with  Christ  as  Saviour,  Lord,  and  Friend;  to 
pray  with,  as  well  as  for,  the  pupil;  to  see  the  parents  if 
possible  and  to  win  their  cooperation ;  to  hand  the  pupil,  in 
conversation  or  in  the  letter  of  appeal,  some  such  leaflet  as 
What  Am  I  Asked  to  Do  on  Decision  Day?  (J.  R.  Miller); 
Will  You  Not  Come?  Havergal  (American  Tract  Society, 
New  York  City) ;  or  That  Means  Me,  Henderson  (The 
Methodist  Book  Concern). 

At  a  workers'  preparatory  meeting  or  in  his  letter  to 
teachers  the  superintendent  should  place  in  the  hands  of 
the  workers  some  such  leaflets  as  Little  Parishes  of  Eight 
(Merriam)  ;  A  Soul-Saving  Sunday  School,  Wells  and 
Schaufller;  My  Class  for  Jesus  (American  Tract  Society, 
New  York  City).  For  himself  he  should  read  such  leaflets 
as  Decision  Day  and  How  to  Use  It,  Brant;  Decision  Day, 
Henderson;  and  Decision  Day  in  the  Sunday  School,  Chap- 
man.    Plans  for  Sunday  School  Evangelism,  Brown,  lists 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         337 

other  leaflets  and  suggests  the  whole  approach  to  the  prob- 
lem by  the  pastor,  superintendent,  teachers,  and  parents. 

8.  Decision  week.  Some  schools  observe  a  decision 
week  preceding  Decision  Day,  covering  (1)  a  weekly  prayer 
meeting,  at  which  the  pastor's  theme  bears  upon  the  day; 
(2)  a  gathering  of  parents  for  conference  and  prayer;  (3) 
a  meeting  of  all  school  workers  for  prayer  and  conference 
as  to  plans,  and  for  discussion  of  such  subjects  as  "How 
and  When  to  Make  the  Appeal";  "How  Can  a  Pupil  Be 
Helped  to  Believe  in  Jesus?"  "How  Can  a  Christian  Pupil 
Be  Helped  to  a  Greater  Love  for  Christ?"  "How  Can  the 
Parents  Be  Best  Approached  by  the  Teacher?"  "How 
Should  the  Pupils  of  the  Junior,  Intermediate,  and  Senior 
Departments  be  Severally  Approached?" 

The  teachers  in  this  and  other  meetings  should  be  drilled 
in  finding  and  using  a  few  pivotal  passages,  such  as  are 
in  black-faced  type  in  the  Testament  of  the  Pocket  Testa- 
ment League;  for  example:  confession  of  sin  (1  John  1.  9) ; 
the  invitation  (Matt.  11.  28-30);  dangers  of  delay  (2  Cor. 
6.  2;  Heb.  4.  7);  Christ  the  Saviour  from  sin  (John  3.  16; 
Matt.  1.  21;  John  6.  37);  becoming  God's  child  (John  1.  12; 
1  John  3.  1,  2,  10);  confessing  Christ  (Matt.  10.  32;  1  John 
4.  15;  John  14.  23);  and  following  Christ  (John  12.  26; 
John  10.  4).  At  this  meeting  teachers  may  present  for 
special  prayer  difficult  cases,  and  prayer  should  be  made 
for  all  the  unconverted  pupils  of  the  school.  The  Saturday 
evening  before  Decision  Day  should  be  set  apart  for  a 
workers'  prayer  gathering.  The  pastor  meets  with  his 
pupils  on  the  afternoons  of  decision  week,  using  as  topics: 
"My  Father,"  "My  Sins,"  "My  Saviour,"  "My  Faith,"  "My 
Confession,"  "My  Work,"  and  "My  Church." 

In  this  week  or  for  several  weeks  in  advance  of  Decision 
Day  the  teachers  may  enter  into  a  prayer  covenant,  the 
cards  reading: 

(1)  To  pray  daily  for  myself,  that  I  may  be  enabled  to 
win  every  one  of  my  unsaved  pupils  for  Christ. 

(2)  To  pray  daily  until  Decision  Day  for  each  of  my  un- 


338  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

saved  pupils  by  name,  that  each  may  personally  receive 
Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord. 

(3)  To  pray  daily  for  the  saving  presence  of  Christ  in 
the  Decision  Day  service. 

During  decision  week  the  pastor  should  call  upon  the 
homes  of  the  non-Christian  parents  and  pupils,  to  pray 
with  them  and  urge  their  decision  for  Christ. 

9.  General  suggestions  for  the  day.  Whatever  the 
time  or  term  for  the  day,  it  should  not  be  presented  as  a 
solemn  day,  set  off  from  the  round  of  the  school  life,  but 
with  a  serious  cheer,  as  a  welcome  opportunity  for  the  ex- 
pression by  the  pupil  of  his  life  allegiance  to  a  Friend  and 
a  Saviour  who  cleanses  from  sin,  and  whose  friendship 
will  enrich  forever. 

The  exercises  of  the  day  should  be  stripped  of  all  busi- 
ness details.  They  may  be  preceded  by  fifteen  to  twenty 
minutes  of  earnest  prayer  in  a  teachers'  gathering  if  the 
Saturday  night  preceding  is  not  used  for  such  a  meeting. 

In  every  school  where  it  can  possibly  be  accomplished 
there  should  be  a  graded  appeal  to  each  age  group  in  its 
own  room.  Suggestions  for  this  graded  approach  follow 
in  the  next  section.  Where  conditions  do  not  permit  of 
this,  the  pupils  below  the  Junior  Department  should  be 
separated  from  the  others  for  this  service. 

The  superintendent  should  be  natural,  cheery,  but  dead  in 
earnest.  The  pastor  and  superintendent  must  each  clearly 
understand  their  part  in  the  day's  work. 

A  full  half  hour  should  be  reserved  for  the  appeal  and 
subsequent  details.  If  the  lesson  lends  itself  to  the  day  it 
may  be  read  together  or  studied  briefly  in  the  class  with 
reference  to  its  personal  application.  Otherwise,  it  may  be 
omitted,  and  some  other  Scripture  used  from  the  platform, 
such  as  Psa.  51  (a  confession  of  sin)  and  Psa.  91  (a 
promise  of  salvation).  Other  good  passages  are  Isa.  55 
and  parts  of  John  14,  15,  and  16.  Special  care  must  be 
taken  in  the  selection  of  appropriate  hymns  for  the  day. 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         339 

The  basis  of  the  appeal  may  be  the  Decision  Day  under 
Joshua  (Josh.  24.  14-28),  Christ  or  Barabbas?  (Luke  23. 
13-26),  the  lesson,  or  any  Scripture  that  will  serve  in  a 
talk  of  not  more  than  ten  minutes.  The  blessing  of  acknowl- 
edgment or  confession  of  Christ,  the  privilege  of  being 
on  the  side  of  such  a  Friend,  the  great  honor  of  relating 
oneself  for  life  to  the  cause  of  the  King  of  kings,  and  the 
joy  of  service  of  One  so  good  and  One  whom  every  life 
needs  so  much  should  all  be  presented. 

The  brief  prayer  following  the  appeal  should  be  especially 
prepared  for  by  the  superintendent  or  by  someone — or  more 
than  one,  previously  selected — who  knows  how  to  pray 
briefly  and  helpfully. 

Before  or  just  following  the  appeal  for  decision  it  will 
be  helpful  to  have  someone  sing  as  a  solo  such  a  hymn  as 
"Ashamed  of  Jesus,"  "In  the  Secret  of  His  Presence," 
"Jesus  Is  Calling,"  "I  Surrender  All,"  or  "The  Ninety  and 
Nine." 

The  decision  cards  and  pencils  will  be  in  the  hands  of 
the  teachers  and  quietly  distributed.  During  the  signing 
of  the  cards  entire  quiet  should  prevail.  If  both  teachers 
and  Christian  pupils  shall  sign  the  consecration  cards,  all 
will  have  some  part  in  this.  Duplicate  cards  should  be 
given  and  retained  by  the  pupils  to  place  in  their  Bibles. 
The  original  cards,  with  names  of  pupils  who  have  made 
decision,  will  be  given  by  the  teacher,  to  superintendent  or 
pastor  following  the  service.  Where  cards  are  not  em- 
ployed, or  even  where  they  are  used,  pupils  may  be  invited 
to  stand  in  confession  or  to  come  forward  to  the  altar  or 
to  kneel  in  prayer  in  the  class  while  several  shall  pray,  or 
to  stay  for  an  after  service,  when  pastor  and  superintendent 
can  meet  them  for  a  talk  and  prayer.  Excellent  results 
have  been  obtained  in  the  Senior  Department  by  separate 
meetings  of  the  young  men  and  the  young  women,  with  a 
wise  appeal  for  decision  by  those  fitted  to  do  it. 

Many  forms  of  consecration,  decision,  and  church-member- 
ship cards  are  available  for  use. 


340  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

10.  Department  Decision  Day  appeals.  (1)  Pri- 
mary Department. — In  this  department  it  is  not  advisable 
to  call  upon  the  children  to  forsake  a  life  of  sin.  Here  the 
affections  should  be  trained,  and  love  for  God  and  others 
developed.  "It  is  a  period  of  impression,  and  the  impres- 
sion is  made  by  the  atmosphere  of  the  school  and  the  per- 
sonality of  the  teacher." 

The  spiritual  atmosphere  of  the  school  will  pervade  the 
Primary  Department.  One  teacher  told  her  primary  pupils 
that  in  the  other  room  they  were  keeping  Decision  Day; 
that  it  was  a  time  to  choose,  and  that  she  wished  her  pupils 
to  choose  Jesus.  She  explained  what  it  meant  to  choose — 
to  take  one  thing  and  leave  another,  to  follow  one  leader 
and  not  another.  She  said  that  Jesus  loved  everyone  in 
her  class  and  wanted  every  child  to  love,  trust,  and  follow 
him.  Each  one  was  invited  to  make  a  mark  on  the  paper 
to  show  he  had  made  his  choice.  She  asked  for  how  long 
the  choice  was  made,  and  they  said  at  once,  "Always." 
Then  the  children  in  the  circle  stood,  and  each  child,  with 
closed  eyes  and  folded  hands,  repeated  a  sentence  prayer 
after  the  teacher,  asking  Jesus'  help.  And  these  decisions 
were  later  remembered  in  the  things  they  said  and  did. 

(2)  Junior  Department. — There  should  be  real  effort  to 
get  every  junior  definitely  to  choose  Christ  and  his  service. 
It  is  a  fruitful  age  for  Christian  decision.  It  is  a  period 
for  will  training.  Juniors  must  not  simply  be  asked  to 
love,  serve,  and  obey  Christ;  but  concrete  ways  must  be 
suggested  in  which  this  can  be  done;  for  the  junior  period 
is  peculiarly  the  age  of  action. 

In  a  large  Junior  Department  in  a  Chicago  school,  after 
a  brief  service  of  worship  on  Decision  Day  and  a  short 
lesson  period,  the  pastor  took  charge.  A  few  stirring 
songs  were  sung.  For  five  minutes  a  dozen  teachers  prayed 
pointedly  that  the  boys  and  girls  might  choose  Christ  that 
day.  The  pastor  gave  a  ten-minute  talk  on  "What,  then, 
shall  I  do  with  Jesus?"  Then  a  "decision  covenant"  was 
distributed   for   signature.     There   was    perfect   silence    as 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         341 

the  pastor  asked,  "How  many  teachers  will  covenant  with 
these  boys  and  girls  that,  if  they  will  decide  for  Christ, 
you  will  do  everything  in  your  power  to  help  them  live 
for  him?"  Every  teacher  arose  and  stood  with  bowed 
head.  Again  the  pastor  asked,  "How  many  of  these  boys 
and  girls  have  made  the  decision  and  signed  the  cards  at 
our  Friday-night  meeting?"  A  large  number  arose  and 
stood  witli  the  teachers.  Again  he  asked,  "How  many 
would  like  to  respond  to  the  covenant  of  the  teachers  and, 
as  best  they  can,  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord?" 
The  pastor  explained  the  promise:  "Him  that  cometh 
unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out";  and  then  all  knelt  to 
join  him  in  a  consecration  prayer,  after  which  the  teach- 
ers distributed  "decision  covenants"  for  signature,  and 
all  were  asked  to  sign  it  who  purposed  to  trust  Christ  and 
live  for  him  every  day  the  best  they  could.  Sixty-four 
cards  were  signed,  and  nearly  all  the  following  Sunday 
united  with  the  church. 

(3)  Intermediate  Department. — The  music  is  important. 
"Coronation,"  "Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul,"  "Holy,  Holy, 
Holy,"  and  "Love  Divine,"  will  create  atmosphere  without 
unduly  crowding  the  emotions.  Omit  unimportant  notices. 
Good  Scripture  selections  are  Psa.  51;  Isa.  53.  Be  expe- 
ditious with  class  markings  and  offerings. 

Then,  after  a  song,  have  brief  prayers  by  one  or  more 
teachers  or  silent  prayer.  The  teachers  may  take  the 
classes  for  a  brief  time.  Pencil  and  papers  may  be  dis- 
tributed by  the  teacher,  and  each  pupil  asked  to  write  his 
idea  of  what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian.  The  teacher  may 
comment  wisely  on  these  and  express  his  earnest  wish  that 
every  member  of  the  class  shall  decide  to  be  a  Christian  of 
the  highest  type.  The  teacher  may  give  a  word  of  Chris- 
tian experience  which  will  be  helpful.  These  slips  should 
be  gathered  for  later  use. 

The  pastor,  with  the  aid  of  the  blackboard,  may  show 
from  the  platform,  briefly  and  clearly,  what  a  Christian 
is  not  and  what  a  Christian  is.     Joshua's  great  decision 


342  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

day  may  well  be  made  the  basis  for  appeal.  Some  definite 
expression  of  decision  should  be  asked  for  by  card  or  by 
standing  or  by  coming  to  the  front  to  shake  hands  with 
pastor  and  superintendent,  and  to  join  in  prayer  and  a 
verbal  pledge  of  allegiance  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  names  of 
all  taking  the  step  will  be  noted  and  passed  on  to  the 
pastor. 

It  is  a  most  serious  thing  for  an  intermediate  or  senior 
pupil  to  fail  to  take  an  open  stand  for  Christ  before  he 
shall  leave  these  departments.  The  chances  are  all  against 
a  later  decision.  But  care  should  be  taken  that  he  be 
given  opportunity  to  exercise  his  own  will  in  any  choices 
or  decisions  made,  and  not  be  hurried  into  decision  by  a 
mere  emotional  appeal. 

(4)  The  Senior  and  Young  People's  Departments. — Much 
the  same  form  of  service  can  be  used  for  the  seniors  as 
for  the  intermediates  as  to  songs,  Scripture,  the  teacher's 
frank  talk,  and  a  class  discussion  (before  the  opening 
service)   of  what  it  means  to  be  a  Christian. 

In  our  own  school,  for  the  senior  Decision  Day  services, 
we  have  used  cards,  the  altar  service,  and  separate  meet- 
ings of  young  men  and  young  women.  Always  the  talk  by 
pastor,  superintendent,  or  other  speaker  has  been  most 
carefully  prepared,  to  challenge  the  best  in  these  young 
people  in  view  of  the  sacrifice  and  call  of  Christ,  the  need 
for  an  atonement  for  personal  sin,  the  need  of  the  world, 
the  ideal  service  of  Jesus  Christ.  One  Decision  Day  we 
used  a  special  message  to  the  seniors  to  commit  themselves 
to  the  service  of  Christ. 

One  school  had  the  goal  posted  prominently:  "The  Teen 
Age  Department  100  Per  Cent  for  Christ"  and  worked  until 
only  one  pupil  remained  unwon. 

(5)  Parents'  and  Adult  Department. — In  no  part  of  the 
school  will  Decision  Day  be  more  fruitful  than  with  parents 
and  adult  classes.  In  one  class  of  seventy-five  fathers  and 
others  every  last  man  was  won  for  Christ  and  the  church 
through  the   steady  pressure   of  the   work   of  the  pastor, 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         343 

who  was  teacher,  and  the  school  officers.  The  mothers' 
group  is  especially  open  to  a  Christian  decision  for  the 
sake  of  the  children  and  the  home. 

The  Decision  Day  preliminaries  for  these  classes  are  not 
of  special  consequence.  A  straight-from-the-heart,  straight- 
from-the-Book,  straight-from-the-cross  challenge  is  needed. 
Prayer  by  the  Christian  men  and  women  in  the  classes 
should  follow,  a  hymn  sung  while  all  heads  are  bowed,  and 
decisions  then  and  there  asked  for. 

It  will  help  the  church  membership  decision  of  adults 
if  the  pastor  shall  announce,  "I  am  looking  for  twenty-five 
men  to  join  the  church  on  Christmas  Sunday  (or  Easter 
Day)";  or  "I  am  looking  for  twenty-five  women  for  the 
church  for  Mother's  Day."  Almost  always,  in  our  own 
church,  men  and  women  have  responded  to  the  psychology 
of  such  an  appeal  to  team  up  for  Christ  and  the  church. 

11.  After  Decision  Day.  "After  the  new  birth  comes 
the  new  life."  With  life  there  must  be  growth.  We  must 
provide  for  this.  The  young  Christian  will  need  patience, 
sympathy,   instruction,   work. 

Those  making  decisions  should  be  reached  promptly  by  a 
joint  letter  from  superintendent  and  pastor  noting  the  de- 
cision, inclosing  some  encouraging  leaflet,  and  inviting  to 
relationship   with   Christ's    church. 

These  young  people  will  need  to  be  trained  for  church 
membership  and  for  Christian  service.  Where  parents 
make  objection,  a  visit  to  the  parents  by  the  pastor,  super- 
intendent, or  teacher  may  overcome  their  opposition.  For 
the  young  people  engaged  in  business  or  otherwise  busy 
in  the  daytime,  an  evening  probation  or  instruction  class 
should  be  maintained  and  conducted  by  the  pastor.  A  per- 
sonal workers'  class  should  be  organized,  with  a  course  in 
personal  evangelism,  from  Studies  for  Personal  Workers, 
Johnston;  The  Secret  of  Soul  Winning,  Shaw;  The  Human 
Element  in  the  Making  of  a  Christian,  Cond6;  or  Personal 
Work  and  the  Personal  Worker,  Shelton.  Separate  after- 
noon classes  for  the  boys  and  girls  should  be  planned  for, 


344  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

led  by  the  wisest  women  to  be  found  in  the  church.  The 
Sunday-school  teacher  may  in  some  cases  be  appointed 
the  class  leader  for  his  or  her  class,  and  in  any  event 
should  be  of  practical  service  in  reporting  promptly  to  the 
pastor  cases  in  the  class  requiring  attention  and  in  guiding 
the  young  convert  by  suggestion,  letter,  book,  and  example. 
Material  for  the  training  of  these  various  classes  is  sug- 
gested in  Chapter  XIV  of  Plans  for  Sunday  School  Evan- 
gelism. This  material  should  be  graded.  It  is  assumed 
that  the  church-membership  classes  will  be  graded  to  the 
age  of  the  pupils. 

The  pastor  should  plan  to  meet  the  young  converts  one 
by  one  in  his  own  study  to  understand  better  their  indi- 
vidual problems  than  is  possible  in  a  general  meeting. 

These  young  people  should  be  urged  to  read  their  Bible 
daily,  following  the  daily  Bible  home  readings,  and  to 
enter  into  a  prayer  circle,  including  in  daily  petitions 
family,  friends,  and  those  not  Christians  in  every  land. 

We  must  not  expect  perfect  fruit  from  these  young  Chris- 
tians. If  there  is  a  willingness  to  follow  Christ,  let  us  be 
satisfied.  There  is  much  of  suggestion  and  practical  ap- 
plication to  us  who  are  older  in  the  little  girl's  prayer: 
"Lord,  make  me  good;  and  if  at  first  you  don't  succeed, 
try,  try  again." 

Those  pupils  who  have  come  to  a  decision  and  who  may 
not  come  into  the  church  should  be  followed  carefully  that 
they  may  be  encouraged  to  follow  Christ  until  the  hinder- 
ing obstacles  are  removed. 

But  there  must  be  expression  of  the  new  life  in  Christ 
through  service  in  the  practical  duties  of  the  home  and 
day  school  life,  in  the  organized  activities  of  the  Sunday- 
school  class  and  the  school,  in  a  "win  one  band,"  or  a 
"win  my  chum"  plan,  in  bearing  personal  testimony,  in 
"sunshine  bands,"  "King's  messengers,"  in  service  for  the 
shut-ins  and  sick,  and  in  that  missionary  interest  which  so 
attractively  invites  the  thought  and  gift  of  the  young  dis- 
ciple whose  aroused  love  spans  the  seas  in   its  effort   ta 


EVANGELISM  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         345 

make  the  new-found  Saviour  the  precious  possession  of  the 
whole  world. 

12.  Training  through,  church  attend^'nce.  This  im- 
portant channel  of  training  for  the  young  people  should 
be  planned  carefully  through  conference  of  pastor  and 
superintendent.  Dr.  James  M.  Parrar,  of  Brooklyn,  has 
been  most  successful  in  the  organization  of  the  young 
people  of  his  church  in  a  junior  congregation,  which  is 
given  a  brief  separate  Sunday  morning  service,  the  boys 
and  girls  being  organized  as  church  oflficials,  trustees, 
deacons,  ushers,  and  choir.  The  pastor  preaches  a  brief 
sermon  to  them.  Dr.  Parrar's  book  The  Junior  Congrega- 
tion will  suggest  the  large  possibilities  in  such  an  organ- 
ization. 

"The  church  army,"  "church  worship  league,"  "young 
worshipers'  league,"  and  the  "go  to  church  band"  are  meth- 
ods of  organizing  for  church  attendance,  such  attendance 
being  marked,  and  Bibles  and  hymnbooks  given  for  per- 
fect marks.  Blank  books  may  be  furnished  for  tests,  and 
these  books  returned  at  the  end  of  the  year  as  a  basis  of 
recognition.  The  Sunday-school  marking  system  often 
provides  for  marking  for  church  attendance. 

The  pastor  should  meet  this  opportunity  by  organizing 
the  young  people  into  special  choirs,  as  in  Bethany  Church, 
Philadelphia,  where  four  different  choirs  sing,  made  up  of 
the  Sunday-school  pupils  of  different  ages.  There  should 
be  food  provided  for  the  members  of  the  school  in  a  sim- 
plification of  the  general  sermon  or  in  a  special  five-  or  ten- 
minute  talk  to  the  younger  members  on  the  plan  suggested 
in  Five-Minute  Object  Servions  in  Outline,  Stall;  Five- 
Minute  Object  Sermons  to  Children,  Hatcher;  Chil- 
dren's Story  Sermons,  Kerr;  What  I  Tell  My  Junior  Con- 
gregation, Bennett ;  Five-Minute  Sermons  to  Children,  Arm- 
strong; and  Finding  Out  God's  Secrets,  McKay. 

Such  a  recognition  of  the  Sunday-school  membership 
will  enable  the  pupils  to  be  "homed"  in  the  church  that 
assumes  the  responsibility  for  their  guidance  and  training. 


346  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 


Bibliography 


Plans  for  Sunday  School  Evangelism,  Brown. 
Educational  Evangelism,  IVlcKinley. 

The  Devotional  Life  of  the  Sunday-School  Worker,  Brew- 
baker. 

When  We  Join  the  Church,  Ryan-Betts. 
The   Child  for  Christ,   McKinney. 

Topic  for  Special  Study 

How  large  a  part  does  training  play  in  maturing  Chris- 
tian character? 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  is  the  school's  obligation  as  to  the  pupil's  life 
decision? 

2.  What  is  the  school's  opportunity  as  shown  in  the  sta- 
tistics  of   conversions? 

3.  What  days  may  be  profitable  for  decision  purposes? 

4.  What   other    terms   than   Decision   Day   may   be   em- 
ployed? 

5.  Name  a  few  steps  in  preparation  for  the  day  by  the 
superintendent,    teacher,    and    pastor. 

6.  Suggest  a  plan  for  Sunday-school  or  decision  week. 

7.  Outline  a  plan  for  Decision  Day. 

8.  What  should  be  done  for  the  pupil  after  Decision  Day? 

9.  What  part  may  the  church  services  play  in  molding 
the  spiritual  life  of  the  pupil? 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL 

A  suR\^Y  of  one  county  in  each  of  forty  States  by  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement  showed  1,330  churches  and 
1,064  Sunday  schools.  Of  these  schools  629  were  in  the 
open  country,  361  in  villages,  and  74  in  towns  of  more 
than  2,500  population.  The  average  open-country  school 
had  an  enrollment  of  fifty-four.  The  total  Sunday-school 
attendance  in  all  the  counties  was  60  per  cent  of  the  en- 
rollment and  7  per  cent  of  the  population.  In  the  year 
surveyed  three  pupils  in  each  of  these  schools  joined  the 
church, 

1.  The  country  Sunday  school.  The  principles,  as 
well  as  many  of  the  methods  and  plans,  suggested  in  the 
foregoing  chapters  are  applicable  to  the  country  as  to  the 
city  school.  Many  problems  are  common  to  all  schools. 
The  country  school  has  the  advantage  of  being  a  social 
center.  The  coming  of  the  rural  telephone,  good  roads, 
rural  delivery,  the  trolley,  and  the  magazine  is  bringing 
the  country  community  into  closer  fellowship  with  the 
world  and  removing  the  fact  and  the  sense  of  isolation. 
With  these  facilities  are  coming  the  educational  impulse 
and  the  improvement  of  Sunday-school  conditions,  so  that 
in  quality  and  kind,  if  not  in  quantity,  the  country  Sunday 
school  in  very  many  places  is  doing  a  work  fully  up  to  the 
strong  city  school.  It  has  been  demonstrated  again  and 
again  that  all  departments  of  work  of  a  complete  school 
can  be  maintained  in  the  country.  Gradually  that  chief 
hindrance  to  Sunday-school  progress  in  the  country — the 
belief  that  things  must  always  go  on  as  they  have  been 
going  for  generations — is  giving  way  as  the  possibility  of 

347 


348  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

better  work  with  different  methods  is  demonstrated,  and 
as  the  younger  people  and  many  of  those  who  are  older 
are,  through  literature  and  convention,  catching  the  fire 
of  progress. 

The  secret  of  success  in  the  country  school,  as  in  the 
city,  is  the  man.  "Only  heaven  can  stand  in  the  way  of 
a  determined  man."  In  the  Sunday  school  heaven  is  co- 
working  with  the  superintendent;  and  determination,  good 
cheer,  tact,  religion,  and  good  sense  will  win  out  any- 
where. 

The  superintendent  in  the  country  school  is  often 
teacher,  organist,  choirmaster,  and  janitor.  It  takes  a  man 
of  grit  and  grace  to  carry  that  job  through  winter  and 
summer.  His  leadership  will  be  put  to  the  test  in  finding 
other  workers  and  enlisting  them  as  his  colaborers.  Some 
of  his  best  work  will  be  in  visiting  around  as  he  can,  dis- 
covering what  folks  can  do,  and  putting  their  talent  at 
work  somewhere,  some  time,  even  if  they  should  do  the 
work  at  first  blunderingly. 

(1)  Ideals  for  its  work. — Three  things,  in  addition  to 
those  receiving  exclusive  emphasis  in  the  past,  the  country 
school  must  stand  for  if  it  is  to  do  its  proper  work  and  be 
a  force  in  the  community: 

(a)  Proper  provision  for  the  social  life  of  the  community. 
— This  it  may  make  through  (1)  school  and  class  socials 
at  private  homes;  (2)  interesting  entertainments  at  the 
school  or  at  homes;  (3)  the  school  picnic,  lawn  or  orchard 
parties;  (4)  a  singing  class  or  society  to  provide  cantatas 
or  other  music;  (5)  for  the  boys  and  young  men,  a  gym- 
nasium, with  simple  apparatus,  in  barn  or  other  building; 
the  provision  of  a  tennis  or  baseball  field;  the  devotion  of 
the  schoolroom  several  evenings  a  week  to  games  and  read- 
ing and  debates. 

(6)  Some  effort  to  supply  the  educational  need. — Litera- 
ture may  be  furnished  to  the  homes  in  the  form  of  maga- 
zines, boys'  and  girls'  papers,  and  libraries.  Several  State 
and  city  public  libraries  are  now  sending  out  loan  libraries, 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  349 

requiring  only  payment  of  freight  or  expressage.  Good 
pictures  and  mottoes  that  stand  for  something  may  decorate 
the  schoolroom. 

(c)  To  assist  in  community  and  world  needs. — The  local 
cemetery  may  need  improvement;  good  roads  are  required 
for  travel  to  Sunday  school;  the  city  hospital  needs  flowers 
and  fruit.  The  schoolhouse  surroundings  may  be  im- 
proved by  trees,  vines,  and  flowers,  and  a  fence  inclosure. 
Through  using  material  available  for  interesting  mission- 
ary programs  and  a  missionary  library  the  school  can  feel 
that  it  has  a  definite  part  in  the  world-wide  work. 

(2)  Organization  and  equipment. — The  oblong  school- 
house  building,  as  suggested  elsewhere  in  this  book,  can 
be  adapted  to  graded  work  through  screen  and  curtain 
divisions. 

The  simplest  grading  would  require  the  division  into  a 
children's  group  (three  to  twelve),  young  people's  (twelve 
to  twenty-four),  adult  (twenty-five  and  over);  and,  when- 
ever there  is  sufficient  teaching  material,  there  should  be 
strong  effort,  even  if  such  a  class  is  small,  to  form  a  class 
or  classes  of  beginners  (three  to  five),  primary  children 
(six  to  eight),  juniors  (nine  to  eleven),  intermediates 
(twelve  to  fourteen),  seniors  (fifteen  to  seventeen),  young 
people  (eighteen  to  twenty-four),  and  adults  (over  twenty- 
four).  To  these  divisions  or  classes  definite  places  should 
be  assigned,  and  promotions  made  from  one  department, 
class,  or  division  to  another  with  appropriate  exercises. 
The  intermediate  boys  and  girls  should  be  separated  where 
possible. 

A  Cradle  Roll,  a  Home  Department,  and  a  training  class 
are  all  possible  in  the  country  school.  The  first  two  are 
possible  if  a  person  is  willing  to  make  the  necessary  visita- 
tion of  the  homes.  The  teacher-training  class  may  be 
formed  out  of  the  young  people  of  senior  age,  who  may 
take  an  approved  course  during  the  school  session.  The 
superintendent  or  a  day-school  teacher  may  take  this 
class,  and  much  should  be  made  of  the  work  of  these  pupils 


350  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

through  a  public  graduation  service  on  Sunday  evening, 
with  papers  read  by  pupils  on  Bible  characters  or  kindred 
themes,  and  the  presentation  of  the  certificate  or  diploma. 
Or  a  meeting  of  such  a  class  at  home  during  the  week 
evening  for  one  hour  a  week  during  eight  or  nine  months 
will  be  found  a  good  plan.  To  get  a  teacher  for  the  class 
let  the  school  send  a  promising  young  man  or  woman  to 
the  nearest  summer  school  of  methods. 

An  organized  adult  Bible  class  can  accomplish  wonders 
even  in  a  small  community.  The  men  of  the  community 
may  be  invited  for  a  social  evening,  the  adult-class  litera- 
ture distributed,  a  talk  given,  and  a  president  elected  at 
once.  Such  a  class  can  find  occupation  in  providing  a 
gymnasium  and  equipment  for  the  young  men,  also  a  place 
for  evening  games  and  reading,  improvement  of  schoolhouse 
grounds,  and  an  adequate  shed  for  winter  use.  The  pro- 
motion of  temperance  work  in  the  community  can  be  com- 
mitted to  the  class. 

A  mothers'  class  can  be  made  successful  in  the  country 
school  through  a  monthly  social  gathering,  as  a  factor  in 
planning  for  the  girls,  and  in  community  visitation  work. 

A  workers'  meeting  may  be  conducted  in  connection  with 
the  weekly  prayer  meeting,  or  the  gathering  may  be  held 
once  a  month  at  a  home. 

A  teachers'  library  consisting  of  a  few  good  books  will 
broaden  the  teacher's  outlook.  The  State  library  will  or- 
dinarily lend  such  books  upon  application,  but  it  would 
be  better  to  purchase  them  for  a  permanent  library. 

A  committee  on  decoration  of  building  and  special  days, 
and  socials,  consisting  of  both  young  people  and  teachers, 
can  accomplish  much  in  placing  pictures  and  mottoes  on 
the  bare  walls,  providing  flowers  for  desk,  renewing  cur- 
tains, papering  or  tinting  walls,  and  assisting  in  programs 
and  special  days.  The  district-school  teacher  may  be  help- 
ful on  this  committee.  The  telephone  can  now  take  the 
place  of  committee  meetings  in  scattered  districts. 

A  committee  of  the  men  on  transportation  and  comfort 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  351 

of  the  building,  such  as  ventilation,  fire,  and  cleaning  of 
room,  will  be  serviceable. 

The  equipment  for  good  work  should  include  primary- 
chairs  or  foot  rests,  some  form  of  blackboard,  song  books 
with  music,  lesson  quarterlies  for  each  grade.  Bibles,  lesson 
chart  pictures,  carpeted  aisle,  locker  for  material,  class 
record  books,  and  honor  roll. 

A  library  with  magazines  and  papers  for  boys  and  girls 
should  be  started.  Books  on  American  history,  hero 
stories,  books  of  discovery,  and  missionary  tales  should 
have  a  place.  If  the  magazines  and  papers  are  kept  in 
circulation,  it  should  not  be  difficult  to  collect  money  for 
them  if  the  cause  is  plainly  presented. 

(3)  The  Sunday  session. — Late  coming  is  the  bane  of 
many  a  country  school.  That  habit  can  be  cured  by  the 
superintendent's  being  on  time  and  beginning  on  time.  A 
combination  of  church  and  Sunday-school  service  may  be 
arranged  by  holding  the  church  service  at  ten  o'clock  and 
the  Sunday  school  at  eleven-fifteen.  After  the  sermon  the 
audience  may  stand,  and  the  superintendent  open  the  Sun- 
day school  with  a  live  song.  Following  this  opening 
service  the  change  of  seats  may  be  made  for  the  lesson 
study.  Or,  following  the  sermon,  the  classes  may  group 
themselves  during  a  brief  intermission  before  the  exer- 
cises. It  has  been  found  practicable  for  the  women  to  bring 
lunches  to  the  church  and  hold  the  Sunday  school  after  the 
luncheon  and  a  little  social  time.  This  provides  in  part 
for  the  Sunday-afternoon  problem  in  the  country,  gives  a 
little  longer  time  for  the  Sunday  school;  and  after  the 
Sunday-school  session  the  young  people  can  get  together  for 
a  good  sing. 

The  blackboard  in  the  ordinary  schoolhouse  gives  an 
opportunity  for  lesson  design,  naming  of  honor  classes, 
school  motto,  a  text,  a  new  hymn,  and  initials  of  books  of 
the  Bible.  Endeavor  to  secure  variety  in  the  exercises. 
Call  upon  a  young  people's  class  to  help  in  song,  prayer, 
and  the  special-day  exercises.     Aim  for  one  new  thing  at 


352  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

each  session — a  recitation,  a  class  song,  a  story  to  be  read, 
classes  in  turn  to  be  responsible  for  such  a  feature,  or  a 
committee  to  be  appointed  for  this  purpose.  The  recitation 
of  supplemental  or  Bible-drill  work  by  classes  will  be 
found  of  interest.  One  Louisiana  school  of  ten  members 
learned  thirteen  hymns,  the  Beatitudes,  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  and  the  names  of  the  books  in ' 
the  New  Testament. 

There  are  cases  where  the  superintendent  is  the  only 
teacher,  with  widely  varying  ages  to  teach.  The  question 
method  may  be  used,  giving  each  his  part  according  to 
age,  employing  a  chart  and  a  map  to  illustrate;  or  the  les- 
son work  may  be  assigned  in  detail  each  Sunday  for  the 
following  week.  Or  the  school  may  be  made  into,  say, 
three  divisions,  and  while  one  division  is  taught  the  others 
may  be  kept  busy  with  memorizing  the  supplemental  work 
or  with  graded  manual  work,  the  youngest  employed  in 
putting  together  a  cut-up  Bible  picture  that  illustrates  the 
lesson.  Once  a  month  there  should  be  a  special  day,  well 
advertised.  It  may  be  a  missionary  program,  such  as  is 
suggested  under  "Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,"  or  the 
observance  of  one  of  the  special  days  of  the  year. 

(4)   The   winter   Sunday    school The    country    Sunday 

school  has  its  winter  problem,  as  the  city  Sunday  school 
has  its  summer  problem,  with  the  difference  that  in  -the 
winter  the  country  membership  has  not  decamped.  The 
country  school's  sickness  is  the  chills;  the  city's,  the  fever. 
One  critic  termed  the  winter-closing  school  the  "woodchuck" 
school,  because  it  went  out  of  sight,  to  turn  up  lean  in  the 
spring.  It  is  admitted  that,  despite  all  the  difficulties,  the 
winter  closing  is  in  good  part  following  an  old  habit  that 
would  be  changed  often  if  the  younger  people  had  the  vote. 
Certain  it  is  that  the  day  school  does  not  close,  reading 
material  is  needed  for  the  long  winter  evenings,  and  young 
people  get  out  to  country  socials,  involving  much  more 
exposure  than  is  required  to  attend  the  Sunday  school. 
And  it  has  been  found  again  and  again  that  the  winter 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  353 

sessions  were  the  best  time  to  seek  the  Lord.  In  one  such 
winter  school  of  twenty-five,  with  the  smallest  attendance 
sixteen,  there  were  ten  of  the  young  people  ready  for 
church  membership  in  the  spring.  The  problem  of  the 
winter  school  is  largely  one  of  the  janitor  and  transporta- 
tion. The  former  has  been  solved  by  the  men  taking  turns 
or  by  using  the  bigger  boys  nearest  the  school  to  clean  up 
and  build  the  fire,  if  necessary  paying  a  small  sum  to  in- 
sure regularity  of  results.  In  one  Colorado  mountain  school 
the  boys  of  fifteen  years  were  organized  into  a  fire  brigade 
to  cut  and  haul  logs,  prepare  firewood,  and  make  the  fires 
for  the  winter  school.  The  transportation  problem  has  been 
met  by  agreement  among  the  men  to  take  turns  in  picking 
up  the  children  along  the  roads  in  road  wagon  or  bob- 
sleigh. 

The  winter  is  a  good  time  for  memorizing  Scripture  and 
hymns  at  the  Sunday  school  or  at  home;  and  pupils  in 
turn  should  be  asked  on  Sundays  to  recite  what  they  have 
learned.  A  lesson  in  Bible  geography,  the  use  of  the  In- 
ternational supplemental  outlines,  Hurlbut's  supplemental 
lessons,  chalk  talks,  Bible  drills  referred  to  in  this  book, 
will  all  brighten  the  winter  session.  On  a  stormy  Sunday 
dispense  with  a  set  program  and  be  informal. 

In  considering  the  winter  question  it  is  a  good  plan, 
after  one  of  the  fall  sessions,  to  have  a  luncheon  and  then 
take  up  for  consideration  the  problems  of  the  winter  as  to 
a  school  Thanksgiving  dinner,  Christmas,  socials  for  the 
winter  evenings,  a  singing  night,  when  the  school  can  im- 
prove its  music  and  prepare  for  Christmas,  Easter,  Me- 
morial Sunday,  or  an  occasional  cantata,  comfort  of  school- 
room, the  week  evenings  for  the  bigger  boys,  home  study 
by  those  who  for  good  reason  cannot  attend,  roads  and 
transportation.  It  is  not  usually  difiicult  to  agree  to  keep 
open  until  Christmas,  and  the  further  jog  to  Easter  will  not 
then  seem  so  hard. 

To  insure  regular  lesson  work  in  the  winter  on  the  part 
of  the  pupils  who  cannot  get  out  teachers  should  mail  the 


354  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

home-study  slip  or  several  written  questions,  receiving 
the  reply  by  mail. 

(5)  Methods  to  interest. — Plan  three  or  four  school  so- 
cials for  the  fall  and  winter.  Divide  the  school  into  three 
or  four  alphabetical  divisions,  making  each  division  re- 
sponsible for  supper  and  program  for  each  social.  The 
alphabetical  plan  may  be  carried  out  interestingly  in  the 
items  for  supper  and  games.  Or  the  classes  in  turn  may  be 
responsible  for  the  program.  The  reading  in  turn  of  a 
chapter  of  an  interesting  book,  singing  of  new  hymns,  prac- 
ticing a  cantata,  a  debate  between  the  big  boys  and  girls, 
microscope,  and  stereoscope  may  be  features  of  such  socials. 

The  country  is  preeminently  the  place  for  an  autumn  or 
spring  rally  and  for  Thanksgiving,  Christmas,  Easter,  and 
Children's  Day  exercises.  Many  of  the  suggestions  in  Chap- 
ter XXI  can  be  worked  in  the  country  Sunday  school.  The 
decorations  are  all  at  hand  in  goldenrod,  wild  aster,  autumn 
leaves  and  branches,  vegetables,  Christmas  tree  and  greens, 
the  early  spring  flowers,  daisies,  and  summer  flowers.  At 
the  autumn  rally  remember  in  prayer  and  by  word  the 
young  people  who  are  leaving  for  high  school  or  college  or 
for  business. 

A  Christmas  rally  at  some  home  may  have  a  supper, 
decorated  place  cards,  tree,  recitations,  songs,  stories  by 
older  people  of  the  Christmas  trees  of  long  ago,  and  gifts 
from  the  tree. 

Easter  may  be  the  important  spring  rally.  Interest  the 
children  in  gathering  material.  The  story  of  Easter  has 
special  significance  in  the  country,  where  children  are  ac- 
customed to  nature's  springtime  transformations.  Send 
conveyances  for  all  who  cannot  walk.  Give  every  child 
possible  a  chance  at  the  program,  to  bring  out  all  the  rela- 
tives and  neighbors.  Get  a  singer  or  speaker  from  the 
nearest  town,  sending  transportation  for  them.  Have  a 
little  souvenir  for  each.  Get  a  few  musicians,  if  possible. 
Reorganize  or  grade  classes.  Try  for  new  members  for  the 
Cradle  Roll  and  Home  Department,  and  give  these  depart- 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  355 

ments  a  chance  to  report.  Aim  to  get  every  member  of 
the  family  attached  to  some  department  of  the  school. 

The  summer  picnic  can  take  various  forms.  A  picnic 
dinner  at  the  home  of  the  superintendent  may  serve  an 
excellent  purpose.  Mothers  may  bring  their  sewing;  chil- 
dren may  play  games,  and  a  teachers'  conference  may  dis- 
cuss such  plans  as  a  complete  visitation,  how  to  enlist  the 
new  family,  and  how  to  regain  the  winter's  losses. 

Have  a  school  motto,  colors,  and  standard.  Place  the 
standard  where  it  can  be  seen,  and  work  for  it.  Give  credit 
marks  for  attendance,  on  time,  bringing  Bible,  offering, 
lesson  study,  and  church  attendance.  Place  the  standard 
where  it  can  be  seen,  and  work  for  it. 

Suggest  plans  for  the  family  study  of  the  lesson,  such  as 
the  first  reading  of  it  on  the  Sunday  prior  to  the  lesson, 
the  use  of  the  daily-home-reading  selection,  daily  family 
prayer  in  the  home,  and  the  use  of  a  form  of  home  study 
slip   to  stimulate   home   study. 

Young  people  will  be  interested  in  missionary  and  other 
plays  and  pageants  which  are  well  within  their  scope. 
(See  Chapters  XVII  and  XVIII.) 

The  Beechwood  Presbyterian  Sunday  School  in  Washing- 
ton Township,  Jefferson  County,  Pennsylvania,  is  in  a 
strictly  rural  community.  The  pastor  majored  on  the  teen- 
age problem.  He  enlisted  the  Bible  class  in  that  interest^ 
and  together  the  men  and  boys  put  up  a  gymnasium  and 
organized  a  basketball  and  baseball  team.  The  men  or- 
ganized a  community-life  committee,  arranged  for  lectures 
for  the  improvement  of  the  community,  raised  a  fund  for  a 
memorial  park,  observed  there  two  great  community  days — 
Memorial  Day  and  Fourth  of  July — ,  and  organized  a  vo- 
cational school.  The  cemetery  was  cleaned  up  and  regu- 
larly mowed  with  lawn  mowers.  The  Boy  Scouts  grew  to 
a  troop  of  sixty  members.  Best  of  all,  the  workers  aimed 
for  soul  winning  through  all  these  methods. 

Hold  Sunday  school  out-of-doors  occasionally  in  the  sum- 
mer, if  there  is  shade  near  by.     A  basket  lunch  may  be 


356  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

brought,  and  all  have  a  good  sing.  The  young  people  may 
tell  the  stories  of  some  of  the  hymns  to  lend  interest. 

Advertise  the  school  in  the  post  office  and  by  Sunday- 
school  signboards  nailed  up  at  half-mile  intervals  along  the 
highway  and  at  crossroads,  and  by  sending  notices  of  each 
month's  special  day  to  the  local  paper.  Programs  for  a 
monthly  missionary  special  day,  such  as  are  outlined  under 
"Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,"  will  make  an  interesting 
topic  to  advertise.  The  boys  will  be  glad  to  serve  as  a 
committee  on  advertisement  in  delivering  invitations  at 
farmhouses. 

One  young  men's  class,  as  good  advertising,  cleaned  up 
the  church  yard,  grubbed  out  the  brush  for  flower  beds, 
straightened  the  fence,  whitewashed  the  shed,  and  built 
rustic  signs  for  the  school.  Advertising  announced  an  at- 
tractive parking  place  for  autos  in  a  grove  and  invited  auto 
owners  to  Sunday  school. 

Another  such  committee  rented  and  used  a  four-inch  space 
in  the  weekly  paper,  issued  a;  school  paper,  printed  by  the 
boys,  once  a  quarter,  and  advertised  picnics,  concerts,  and 
special  days  through  posters  placed  on  guideposts. 

The  school  library  may  be  introduced  through  placing 
some  of  the  young  people  in  charge  of  a  magazine  table. 
Get  a  few  to  subscribe  as  a  starter,  keep  the  magazines  in 
circulation,  and  interest  in  the  plan  will  grow.  The  Home 
Department  members  will  appreciate  such  a  school  tie. 

The  monthly  school  entertainment  will  help  toward  li- 
brary funds.  Stereopticon  pictures,  declamation  contests, 
and  a  cantata  will  serve  as  methods  of  entertainment  and 
of  income. 

A  school  omnibus  or  carry-all  will  be  a  good  advertise- 
ment, and  the  men  will  doubtless  be  willing  to  take  turns 
in  bringing  to  school  the  distant  members. 

Introduce  a  new  marking  system  to  awaken  interest. 
Banner  and  star  classes  and  rolls  of  honor  have  done  won- 
ders in  building  up  attendance. 

Get  a  new  teacher  ready,  then  scour  the  community  for 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  357 

members  for  a  class.  The  plan  of  asking  the  young  men 
or  adults  to  be  one  of  a  limited  number  if  others  are  se- 
cured has  worked  well. 

Organize  one  of  the  organizations  mentioned  in  Chap- 
ter XV. 

The  superintendent  should  use  the  rural  telephone  with 
teachers,   committees,   newcomers,   and   pupils. 

A  birthday  social  for  all  is  an  opportunity  of  raising 
funds  for  school  use.  Little  birthday  bags  should  be  given 
out  for  the  birthday  gift,  tagged  with  place  and  date  of 
the  social.  A  corn  social  at  the  superintendent's  or  some 
other  home  may  be  utilized  as  a  means  of  money-getting 
by  selling  the  corn  brought.  Both  parents  and  children 
should  be  invited.  Preserved  fruit  or  vegetables  could  be 
brought  instead  of  corn,  and  these  sold  in  the  city  for  the 
benefit  of  the  school. 

Thanksgiving  may  be  celebrated  through  a  neighborhood 
dinner  and  social.  Members  of  the  Home  Department 
could  come  early,  and  the  young  people  later.  Put  in- 
vitations in  an  attractive  form. 

Hold  a  Children's  Day  rally  out-of-doors  for  a  change. 

Make  a  census  of  all  people  in  the  neighborhood,  send  a 
letter  of  invitation  to  those  not  in  the  school,  then  make 
your  motto  "The  Last  One."  Apportion  these  names  among 
the  classes  to  report  results  in  the  school  session,  the 
class  failing  to  report  one  or  more  new  scholars  to  con- 
tribute a  book  to  the  Sunday-school  library.  In  one  school 
members  of  a  certain  class  took  turns  in  calling  during 
different  weeks  on  assigned  persons,  until  ninety-seven  out 
of  a  possible  one  hundred  in  the  community  were  attached 
to  the  school. 

Offer  a  prize  to  the  boys  and  girls  for  best  ideas  on 
"How  to  Build  Membership  and  Interest  in  Our  Sunday 
School,"  or  "How  to  Make  Our  Sunday  School  Room  and 
Grounds   Attractive." 

A  Massachusetts  school  grew  from  twenty-five  to  one 
hundred  in  one  year  by  the  simple  plan  of  calling  upon  the^ 


358  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

children  of  the  community  who  were  attending  day  school 
but  no  Sunday  school.  The  list  was  obtained  from  the 
public  schools. 

A  bungalow-style  Sunday-school  building  at  Plymouth, 
Oregon,  was  finished  in  the  native  fir,  divided  the  classes 
by  curtainst  provided  a  bright  place  in  the  basement  for 
primary  and  beginners'  children  and  social  affairs,  and  was 
a  center  of  rural  interest. 

The  growing  boys  and  young  men  should  feel  that  the 
superintendent,  through  his  interest  in  their  baseball  and 
athletic  work,  house  and  sleigh  parties,  and  literary  im- 
provement, is  their  friend. 

Encourage  the  pupils  to  have  a  "God's  acre,"  the  profit 
on  which  is  to  be  used  in  Sunday-school  improvement. 

Invite  the  hired  help  to  join  the  organized  adult  Bible 
classes. 

Use  the  city  Sunday-school  talent  that  may  come  to 
hotels  or  boarding  houses  within  reach. 

The  old  Sunday-school  Scripture  concert  on  Sunday  eve- 
nings can  be  made  effective  through  use  of  Bible  drills, 
solo  work,  recitations,  and  the  presentation  of  some  plans 
for  community  betterment. 

The  Sunday-baseball  evil  must  be  met  by  harnessing  the 
young  men  to  the  school  as  suggested  above,  by  organizing 
a  school  baseball  team,  providing  a  field,  and  giving  gen- 
eral encouragement  of  the  young  men  for  Saturday  and 
holiday  games  and  other  athletic  lines.  An  Oregon  school 
had  a  junior  and  a  senior  team  and  promoted  a  rural  base- 
ball league  for  games,  curing  in  that  way  the  Sunday- 
baseball  habit  of  the  community. 

If  a  schoolhouse  is  not  available,  an  earnest  worker  can 
utilize  a  home  for  a  school,  and  the  several  rooms  will  be 
helpful  in  department  divisions.  Or  if  the  community  is 
widely  scattered,  several  school  groups  can  be  formed  at 
the  most  convenient  homes  and  so  timed  as  to  service  that 
the  superintendent  can  get  to  each  group  for  the  exercises. 
"Where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way"  is  a  platitude  that 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  359 

has  fresh  illustrations  constantly  amid  all  the  discourage- 
ments of  the  work  of  the  country  Sunday  school. 

In  the  summer  enlist  the  interest  of  the  pupils  in  pre- 
paring and  raising  material  for  the  special  days  of  the  fall 
and  winter,  in  planting  pop-corn  for  the  Christmas  cele- 
bration, geraniums,  begonias,  and  other  winter  flowers, 
pumpkins,  squashes,  gourds,  corn,  and  other  vegetables 
for  harvest-home  and  Thanksgiving  decorations,  storing 
"everlastings,"  ground  pine,  and  laurel  for  winter  use. 

Organize  a  nature-study  club  or  clubs,  according  to  ages, 
for  study  of  plants,  birds,  insects,  soils,  and  rocks.  There 
may  be  contests  with  honors  to  those  who  can  name  and 
describe  the  greatest  number -of  birds,  flowers,  insects,  and 
medicinal  or  food  plants  native  to  that  district.  Biblical 
allusions  to  plants,  birds,  and  flowers  may  be  used.  They 
may  sketch,  paint,  photograph,  or  draw  their  collection. 
Nature  magazines  may  be  studied. 

A  neighborhood  Sunday  school  of  thirty-two  pupils  and 
three  teachers  at  Berlin,  Maryland,  has  a  record  of  min- 
istry -and  organizations  which  might  well  shame  many  a 
large  school.  Under  the  guidance  of  a  woman  leader  the 
school  has  been  graded,  Bibles  and  Testaments  given  to  all, 
and  a  mothers'  class  and  a  Home  Department  organized. 
It  is  a  center  for  the  community  with  library,  magazines, 
biweekly  sociables,  valentine  parties,  fishpond  parties,  post- 
card, cobweb  and  peanut  parties;  a  Christmas  party,  with 
tree  and  treat;  an  Easter  party,  with  candy-egg  hunt,  an 
annual  Cradle  Roll  party,  a  picnic,  a  monthly  lecture,  with 
rented  slides  (sometimes  on  Sunday  evening  when  on 
Bible  subjects),  grafanola  concerts  (sometimes  on  Sunday 
evening  when  hymns  and  sacred  music  are  given).  New 
methods  are  studied  and  introduced.  The  school  never 
closes. 

The  members  of  a  cowboy  Sunday  school,  the  Sykes 
Sunday  School  in  Fallon  County,  Montana,  came,  some  of 
them,  a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles.  The  school  is  practi- 
cally  the   only   uplifting   force    in   the    community.      The 


360  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

special  days,  especially  Christmas,  bring  large  numbers. 
Forty  is  the  average  attendance.  The  school  drills  in  the 
Bible  books  and  contents  and  has  a  small  teacher-training 
class.  The  session  lasts  for  two  hours.  People  bring 
their  lunches  and  are  in  no  hurry  to  leave. 

2.  The  village  Sunday  school.  The  problem  of  the 
village  and  small  town,  whose  conditions  change  but  little 
from  year  to  year,  is  that  of  inertia,  self-satisfaction,  and 
lack  of  social  life.  The  push  of  improvements  and  the 
greed  of  commercialism  are  bringing  to  many  a  village  and 
town  dangers  to  its  moral  and  religious  life  through  bad 
literature,  doubtful  amusements,  and  disregard  of  the  Sab- 
bath, which  must  be  met  by.  the  Sunday  school  with  im- 
proved organization,  increased  interest,  and  a  full  regard 
for  the  school  life  of  its  young  people. 

A  complete  census  of  the  community  should  be  made  by 
the  school  or  in  conjunction  with  other  schools,  and  a  joint 
invitation  given  to  Sunday-school  membership. 

The  adult  class  can  here  be  made  an  important  fac- 
tor. The  organized  class,  in  cooperation  with  the  superin- 
tendent and  pastor,  should  provide  a  gymnasium  and  read- 
ing and  game  room,  baseball  field,  and  tennis  and  croquet 
courts  for  the  young  people  of  the  school,  and  build  the 
young  men  of  the  community  into  the  school  through 
these  things.  A  Sunday-school  athletic  association  may  be 
formed.  On  Sunday  evenings  entertainment  and  refresh- 
ments may  be  provided  to  keep  these  young  people  from 
the  dances  and  village  corners.  If  the  class  of  motion 
pictures  in  the  locality  is  bad,  the  organized  classes  should 
interest  themselves  in  their  improvement  or  in  themselves 
providing  a  better  class  of  pictures.  A  library  should  be 
started,  and  magazines  and  papers  for  young  men  sub- 
scribed for. 

A  chorus  and  an  orchestra  of  the  young  people  can  be 
made  a  helpful  factor  in  the  school  and  church  service. 
The  school  should  advertise  itself  regularly  in  the  town 
paper  through  interesting  school  items,  by  invitations  sent 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  361 

verbally  to  the  community,  through  the  rural  mail  carriers, 
and  by  the  stage  driver.  Among  opportunities  of  service 
open  to  the  classes  of  the  school  would  be  to  furnish  read- 
ing matter  to  the  shut-ins  in  the  country  round  about  and 
to  the  waiting  room  of  the  railroad  station,  and  plans  to 
provide  summer  homes  for  the  sick  or  poor  boys  and  girls 
of  the  city  and  to  invite  to  the  Sunday  school  city  young 
people  who  are  boarders  in  the  village.  A  series  of  enter- 
tainments at  the  school  or  town  hall  should  be  planned  to 
interest  the  school  and  attract  the  community. 

The  organized  adult  Bible  class  can  be  made  an  impor- 
tant factor.  In  visiting  a  town  in  South  Carolina  the 
writer  found  in  the  Methodist  Sunday  school  a  few  men  in 
a  corner  of  the  room.  A  few  months  later  he  found  that 
corner  filled  with  men,  including  the  presidents  of  the  two 
banks  of  the  place  and  the  learned  professional  men  and 
citizens.     The  class  had  organized. 

In  a  village  of  five  hundred  several  classes  of  young  men 
and  adults,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  superintendent,  se- 
cured a  lease  on  an  abandoned  skating  rink.  This  was 
converted  for  the  winter  into  a  gymnasium  for  basketball 
and  other  athletics  three  days  a  week,  and  proved  a  helpful 
adjunct  to  the  school. 

In  the  town  of  Brock,  Nebraska,  with  a  population  of 
450,  the  Christian  Sunday  School  has  an  average  attendance 
of  130.  It  is  a  live  school,  with  a  Cradle  Roll  room  and  class 
with  rocking  chairs  for  mothers  and  a  general  meeting 
room  with  two  classrooms  transformed  into  an  eight-room 
building,  a  "Sisters  of  Ruth"  intermediate  class,  a  group 
of  Camp  Fire  Girls,  a  Boy  Scout  troop,  and  classrooms 
equipped  with  pictures,  pennants,  and  mottoes.  Other 
features  are  a  friendly-hand  committee  of  welcome,  one 
minute  used  each  Sunday  for  latest  missionary  news,  and 
a  teacher-training  class  which  completed  a  four  years' 
course. 

In  a  suburb  of  Los  Angeles  a  woman  opened  her  place 
for  a  bungalow  school  for  the  many  children  thereabout, 


362  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

first  as  a  primary  class,  then  the  beginners  were  given  a 
room,  next  the  juniors  had  a  room,  and  the  school  of  sixty- 
five  filled  all  the  rooms.  Five  teachers  came  from  the  city 
each  Sunday  afternoon,  special  days  were  observed,  and 
up-to-date   methods   were   employed. 

A  remarkable  village  Sunday  school  at  Battery  Park, 
Virginia,  has  121  members  in  a  community  of  150  and  119 
were  present  at  one  session.  It  is  a  rare  thing  for  pupils 
to  pass  the  Junior  Department  without  a  decision  for 
Christ.  Practically  every  member  of  the  school  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church.  It  is  called  the  "school  of  excellence." 
Every  department  is  represented.  The  school  takes  the 
banner  offered  by  the  county  Sunday-school  association  for 
best  county  record.  The  superintendent  is  a  student  of 
Sunday-school  books  and  magazines. 

The  First  Congregational  Sunday  School  at  Riceville, 
Iowa,  makes  much  of  class  pennants  and  good  advertising. 
The  pennants  are  hung  over  the  blackboard  on  which  is 
the  record  of  class  and  school  attendance.  The  pennant  of 
the  class  with  best  record  is  placed  in  special  position. 
Even  the  beginners'  class  has  a  pennant.  Interest  centers 
on  the  classes:  "The  Sunshine  Class,"  "Be  Ye  Kind,"  "The 
Live  Wires,"  "The  Anti  Can'ts,"  "I.  A.  M."  (Inasmuch), 
and  "The  Comrades."  Advertising  for  Rally  Day  was 
through  telegraph  post  cards,  hand-lettered  window  cards, 
special  matter  in  weekly  paper,  and  small  felt  pennants  as 
souvenirs.  Automobiles  brought  distant  members.  A 
school  invitation  post  card  with  names  of  officers  is  used 
for  all  occasions  by  school  and  classes.  Glass  sliding  doors 
separate  the  Primary  and  Junior  Departments  and  young 
people's  class. 

A  New  England  village  school  reached  out  three  miles 
to  a  schoolhouse  in  a  neglected  community  of  over  fifty 
children  between  five  and  eighteen.  The  neighborhood  was 
thoroughly  visited,  seventy-five  attended  the  first  meeting, 
a  Christian  woman  became  superintendent,  singers  went 
out  from  the  village  church,  parents  were  converted  in  a 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOL  363 

week  of  revival  services,  all  of  the  country  school  came  in 
conveyances  to  a  concert  in  the  village  church,  and  the 
whole  moral  tone  of  the  community  was  lifted  to  a  higher 
level. 

In  the  village  of  Savonburg,  Kansas,  250  population,  the 
two  Sunday  schools  have  an  average  attendance  of  one 
hundred  each.  One  of  these  schools  went  up  from  an  aver- 
age of  61  to  a  total  of  176  through  a  contest  with  a  school 
in  another  place.  One  of  the  elements  of  success  is  a  sur- 
prise feature  each  Sunday  worked  out  by  a  special  com- 
mittee of  the  school. 

One  village  school  made  Easter  specially  interesting 
through  a  Rally  Week  preceding  Easter.  Monday  was 
Cradle  Roll  Day  for  the  little  ones  and  mothers.  There 
were  music  and  games,  a  little  talk  by  the  pastor  to  the 
mothers  upon  the  meaning  of  Easter  to  them,  a  supper,  and 
a  social  time.  Tuesday  brought  primaries  and  juniors.  A 
sand  map  of  Jerusalem  and  the  country  thereabout  was 
made  the  basis  of  a  talk.  An  Easter  supper  followed. 
Wednesday  was  for  the  young  people  and  Thursday  for 
the  adults.  Friday  was  a  day  of  prayer  for  the  school  at 
church  and  at  home.  On  Saturday  each  member  of  the 
school  was  to  invite  someone  outside  the  school  to  attend 
Easter  Day.  On  Sunday  each  department  of  the  school 
contributed  its  part.  The  beginners  sang  a  flower  song; 
the  primary  children  recited  the  Easter  story;  the  juniors, 
in  questions  and  answers,  gave  briefly  in  Bible  verses  the 
events  of  Holy  Week  and  Easter  Day;  the  intermediates 
narrated  the  appearances  of  Christ  after  the  resurrection 
and  repeated  the  verses  concerning  the  hour  by  the  sea- 
shore. 

Bibliography 

The  Sunday  School  in  the  Country,  Faris. 

How  to  Run  a  Little  Sunday  School,  Fergusson. 

The  Rural  Sunday  School  and  the  Teens,  Alexander. 


364  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

Topic  for  Special  Study 

The  utilization  of  community  improvements  as  builders 
of  moral  and  religious  life. 

Topics  for  Class  Discussion 

1.  What  are  the  three  objectives  of  the  country  Sunday 
school? 

2.  What  is  the  essential  organization  of  a  country  school? 

3.  How  can  the  sessions  be  made  attractive? 

4.  Can  a  winter  Sunday  school  be  sustained,  and  how? 

5.  Name  a  few  methods  of  interest  for  the  country  Sun- 
day school. 

6.  How  can  the  village  Sunday  school  assist  the  young 
men  of  the  community  and  build  up  its  membership? 

7.  State  methods  actually  used  in  building  up  the  village 
:school. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING 

The  school's  upbuilding — its  permanent  upbuilding  in 
numbers  and  strength — is  not  the  result  of  a  single  effort, 
no  matter  how  strenuous;  It  is  the  result  of  the  focusing 
of  a  score  of  influences,  having  their  mainspring  usually 
in  the  superintendent,  which  have  to  do  with  the  school's 
educational  work,  its  atmosphere,  its  week-day  life,  and 
which  reach  out,  through  the  superintendent,  pastor, 
teacher,  pupil,  home,  and  the  printed  page,  to  every  part 
of  the  community. 

One  of  the  best  business  men  of  the  country  told  the 
writer  that  he  would  prefer  a  10-per-cent  advance  in  his 
business  yearly  to  a  large,  sudden  increase,  because  of  the 
greater  certainty  of  the  proper  care  of  the  growth;  and  his 
large  body  of  salesmen,  one  of  the  best  organized  in  the 
world,  have  that  increase  as  their  annual  objective.  How 
do  men  organize  to  secure  new  business?  (1)  By  having 
goods  that  people  want  or  else  creating  a  desire  for  them. 
(2)  By  newspaper  advertising.  (3)  By  circularizing.  (4) 
By  pleasing  the  customer.  (5)  By  having  courteous  ushers 
to  direct  people  about.  (6)  By  having  polite  clerks  who 
know  their  business,  know  goods,  prices,  and  the  location 
of  articles.  (7)  By  having  departments  for  the  several 
lines  of  goods.  (8)  By  special  sales.  (9)  By  making  it 
easy  for  folks  to  come  in  and  hard  for  them  to  go  out  with- 
out a  purchase.  It  is  not  difficult  to  draw  a  parallel  be- 
tween these  methods  and  Sunday-school  upbuilding. 

In  this  chapter  we  shall  consider  those  traceable  factors; 
and  methods  which  directly  assist  in  school  building. 

1.  Incentives  in  building  better  and  bigger  schools. 
Bigness  is  not  strength.     It  may  be  weakness  if  there  are 

365 


366  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

not  heart,  muscle,  and  purpose.  "To  gain  through  the  bung 
and  lose  through  the  spigot"  is  poor  business.  Too  many- 
schools  are  carried  away  with  the  notion  of  bigness,  for- 
getting that  quality  of  work  and  the  right  goals  in  work 
are  the  big  things.  At  the  same  time,  with  quality  of  work 
assured,  "it  is  a  sin,"  as  Marion  Lawrance  says,  "for  a 
school  to  be  smaller  than  it  should  be."  Our  drive  should 
be  for  the  last  one  in  the  community  for  the  school  and 
for  Christ. 

The  Philadelphia  Sunday  School  Association  carried 
through  a  campaign  for  "Better  and  Bigger  Sunday 
Schools."  The  main  goals  for  a  better  school  were  the 
organization  of  a  committee  on  religious  education  in  the 
church,  10  points;  the  organization  of  a  new  school  depart- 
ment, 10  points;  the  appointment  of  a  leader  for  young 
people's  work  in  the  school,  10  points;  the  organization  of 
week-day  religious  instruction,  30  points;  the  organization 
of  neighborhood  visitation  and  survey,  20  points;  and  the 
celebration  of  mother-and-daughter  days,  20  points.  "Big- 
ger" school  goals  included  new  enrollment,  a  higher  per- 
centage of  attendance  in  proportion  to  enrollment,  on  the 
part  of  pupils,  oflEicers,  and  teachers. 

The  goal  is  the  school's  architectural  plan.  Each  week, 
each  month,  and  each  year  parts  of  that  accepted  plan 
must  be  built  in.  In  other  chapters,  and,  indeed,  through- 
out the  whole  book,  the  school  goal  or  goals  have  been 
suggested  and  elaborated.  The  writer  has  tried  in  these 
chapters  to  indicate  the  plans  of  the  "better"  school.  In 
this  chapter  let  us,  in  the  main,  think  of  the  school's  out- 
reach for  new  members.  We  are  not  losing  sight  in  this 
of  the  school's  greater  goal — namely,  winning  all  to  Christ 
and  training  all  for  Christ,  a  school  educationally  efficient 
in  business  for  the  King  seven  days  a  week,  serving  the 
community  and  the  world. 

2.  Tlie  pastor's  part.  No  school  can  be  built  up 
strongly  if  there  is  not  cordial  cooperation  between  the 
pastor  and  superintendent.     If  there  happen  to  be  differ- 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  367 

ences  between  the  two,  they  should  be  kept  out  of  sight 
for  the  sake  of  the  work.  A  wise  pastor  will  be  in  the 
Sunday  school  because  it  will  yield  the  largest  returns  on 
the  investment  of  his  time  and  will  help  him  to  get  close 
to  his  young  people. 

A  pastor  with  educational  ideals,  with  any  real  sense  of 
his  responsibility,  will  not  trust  the  molding  of  his  flock 
to  untrained  hands  without  making  some  effort  to  assist 
in  the  selection  and  training  of  teachers.  How  can  the 
pastor  help  upbuild  the   school? 

(1)  On  Sunday. —  (a)  By  his  presence  in  some  part  of 
the  session,  officially  but  not  officiously,  to  speak  a  word  of 
cheer  and  help  to  oflBcers,  teachers,  and  pupils  as  he  can 
without  hindering  the  work;  and  to  pray,  to  review,  and 
to  assist  as  needed.  (&)  By  teaching,  if  possible,  a  class 
of  adults.  Many  pastors  are  doing  this  and  find  the  work 
a  joy  and  help,  (c)  By  closing  the  church  service  on  time 
where  the  Sunday-school  session  follows.  {d)  Through 
noting  and  suggesting  coming  workers  as  he  discovers 
them,  especially  those  between  sixteen  and  thirty  years  of 
age.  (e)  By  preaching  a  rousing  sermon  and  then  pledg- 
ing those  present  to  membership  in  the  Home  Department, 
adult  class,  to  teaching  work,  to  a  teacher-training  class,  or 
as  helpers,  and  keeping  at  it  until  the  goal  is  reached. 
(/)  By  seeing  that  the  officers  and  teachers  are  installed 
in  an  appropriate  service,  (g)  By  noting  items  of  school 
interest  in  the  weekly  church  calendar  or  in  his  write-up 
of  the  church  services  for  the  local  press.  (7i)  By  assign- 
ing all  new  church  members  to  some  service  or  class  in 
the  Sunday  school  as  the  Bible-teaching  service  of  the 
church,  (i)  By  interesting  the  children  and  young  people 
in  church  attendance  on  lines  suggested  in  Chapter  XXIII. 
ij)  By  a  presentation  to  the  school  or  to  separate  depart- 
ments or  classes  of  the  privilege  of  church  membership 
on  the  Sunday  before  admission  of  members. 

(2)  Through  the  week. —  (a)  The  pastor  should  recog- 
nize his  pupils  by  name  as  he  meets  them.      (&)   On  his 


368  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

calls  he  may  take  blanks  of  Sunday-school  enrollment,  on 
which  will  be  indicated  Cradle  Roll,  adult  class,  teacher, 
helper,  Home  Department  and  other  departments,  and  see 
that  every  member  of  the  home  receives  a  check  against  one 
of  these  indications;  and,  after  a  record  has  been  made,  that 
the  cards  are  turned  over  to  the  superintendent,  (c)  He 
will  feel  the  responsibility  for  training  his  teachers.  He 
will  know  who  of  his  teachers  have  not  had  the  advantage 
of  a  teacher-training  course  and  will  see  that  all  teachers  re- 
ceive the  literature  of  their  denomination  on  this  subject, 
and  that  they  are  enrolled  as  students  in  some  one  of  the 
official  denominational  courses.  (d)  He  will  cooperate 
with  the  superintendent  in  inaugurating  and  carrying  out 
a  plan  of  neighborhood  visitation,  (e)  He  will  make  op- 
portunity for  a  half-hour  weekly  conference  with  his 
superintendent  on  school  plans. 

3.  The  superintendent's  -week-day  -work.  We  have 
considered  the  superintendent's  duties.  How  can  he,  at  his 
desk,  in  his  home,  in  the  homes  of  his  pupils,  build  up  the 
school?  The  superintendent  is  the  "man  in  the  office." 
The  Sunday  school  is  a  business.  He  must  plan  the  work. 
His  week-day  work  is  the  key  of  his  real  success.  Busy 
business  men  who  are  superintendents  know  this  and 
sacredly  reserve  certain  week  hours  for  the  Sunday-  school. 
They  know  their  schools  cannot  succeed  any  more  than 
their  business  without  adequate  planning,  conference,  and 
review  of  results. 

(1)  His  desk  outfit. —  (a)  A  street  card  index  of  the 
pupils'  homes  for  visitation  and  other  use.  (&)  An  alpha- 
betical index  of  the  school,  (c)  A  file  cabinet,  with  drawer, 
boxes,  scrapbook,  or  large  envelopes  for  clippings,  pro- 
grams, and  references  bearing  upon  all  departments  of 
Sunday-school  work.  A  pair  of  scissors,  some  paste,  copies 
of  such  magazines  as  The  Church  School  and  The  Sunday 
School  Journal  will  enable  him  to  begin  the  work  which 
will  grow  in  value  with  the  years.  Material  will  be  added 
from  conventions,   conferences,   and   addresses,   talks   with 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  369 

other  superintendents,  visitation  of  other  schools,  ideas 
and  chapter  references  from  books  on  the  Sunday  school. 
Some  subject  divisions  from  the  writer's  cabinet  will  sug- 
gest such  file  possibilities:  "The  Cradle  Roll"  (and  all 
other  of  the  regular  school  departments),  "Missionary," 
"Temperance,"  "Decision  Day"  (and  all  other  special  days), 
"The  Pastor  and  the  Sunday  School,"  "The  Teacher," 
"Teachers'  Meetings,"  "Training  Class,"  "Secretary"  (and 
other  officers),  "Promotions,"  "Music,"  "Program,"  "Sunday 
School,"  "Organizations,"  "Manual  Work,"  "Supplemental 
Work,"  "Board  of  Sunday  Schools,"  "International  Sunday 
School  Association,"  "World's  Sunday  School  Association." 
id)  Superintendent's  yearly  record  book,  showing  school  at- 
tendance, offerings,  names,  and  addresses  of  teachers  and 
substitutes,  names  of  pupils  joining  the  church,  new  plans 
introduced,  and  any  other  items  worth  noting  from  a 
superintendent's  standpoint,  (e)  A  loose-leaf  notebook  for 
suggestions,  important  addresses,  things  to  do,  special  days' 
plans,  ideas  worth  noting,  good  hymns,  people  to  see,  sick 
to  call  on,  teachers,  speakers,  and  singers  in  view.  Three 
pages  in  that  book  should  be  busy  ones:  ideas  and  plans  as 
raw  material;  those  in  process  of  manufacture  for  dis- 
cussion by  cabinet  or  teachers'  board;  those  as  finished 
product,  ready  for  use.  (/)  A  classified  list  of  pupils  with 
leadership  capacity  in  any  line  of  service,  for  use,  after 
proper  training,  on  school  committees  or  as  teachers  or 
school  officers,  (g)  A  test  form  in  which  each  department 
of  the  school  is  analyzed  as  to  quality  of  work,  covering 
comparison  with- other  departments  as  to  enrollment,  sepa- 
rate exercises,  adequate  equipment,  plenty  of  teachers,  their 
adaptations,  order,  activities,  teachers'  regularity,  offering 
average,  loyalty,  teamwork  of  officers  and  teachers,  depart- 
mental meetings,  class  organization;  social,  devotional,  and 
missionary  provision;  monthly  gain  or  loss  in  enrollment; 
attendance,  attraction  for  new  members,  and  stimulating 
pittendance. 

(2)   With  his  pen. — A  Monday-morning  letter  to  a,n  absent 


370  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

teacher,  telling  how  much  superintendent  and  class  missed 
him;  or  to  a  discouraged  teacher  noting  some  good  point 
in  his  work  and  suggesting  a  helpful  plan.  Letters  to  pros- 
pective teachers  suggesting  temporary  or  permanent  serv- 
ice; to  pupil  or  teacher  in  some  sorrow-touched  home;  to 
a  pupil  regarding  decision  for  Christ  or  life  service,  inclos- 
ing a  leaflet  and  making  an  appointment;  to  a  teacher  with 
an  earnest  birthday  message;  to  a  nonattendant  inviting 
to  membership ;  to  pupils  suggesting  calls  on  a  sick  teacher, 
or  vice  versa.  The  superintendent  will  devise  choice  greet- 
ings and  messages  for  Easter,  Rally  Day,  Thanksgiving, 
and  New  Year  for  teachers,  parents,  and  pupils. 

He  will  have  list  of  new  pupils,  referring  the  new  family 
to  pastor  or  to  the  district  visitor  for  call  or  report.  A 
general  stir-up  letter  may  be  written  to  teachers  in  a  cam- 
paign for  enrollment,  for  a  Decision  Day  ingathering,  for 
visitation  of  homes,  for  the  workers'  meeting.  A  depart- 
ment superintendent  may  need  some  written  encouragement 
or  book  or  suggestion,  or  the  inclosure  of  some  clipping  of 
value  for  the  department  work. 

(3)  In  Ms  home. — The  superintendent  should  let  it  be 
known  at  what  hours  he  will  be  at  disposal  of  teacher  or 
pupil  and  encourage  calls  on  any  matter  of  personal  or 
class  help.  In  this  relation,  as  a  friend,  he  will  enter  and 
help  many  a  life.  He  should,  in  fact,  seek  for  points  of 
entrance.  A  young  man  who  is  starting  down  the  swift 
road  may  be  invited  for  a  close  talk  and  prayer.  Another 
may  be  invited  for  a  helpful  talk  looking  to  work  as 
teacher,  missionary,  minister,  or  in  some  other  profession. 
"While  there  may  be  an  employment-department  superin- 
tendent, many  young  people  will  seek  the  superintendent's 
counsel  and  help  as  to  their  vocation.  Such  opportunities 
are  to  be  coveted. 

Conferences  will  be  scheduled  at  his  home  with  depart- 
ment heads  and  committees.  If  a  successful  superinten- 
dent he  will  utilize  and  inspire  others  to  the  limit. 

(4)  On  the  field. — His  should  be  a  familiar  face  in  the 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  371 

community.  He  will  be  found  in  the  home  burdened  with 
a  fresh  sorrow  or  entered  by  want.  If  his  time  permits — 
and  an  hour  or  two  a  day  will  accomplish  wonders — 
nothing  more  profitable  can  be  suggested  than  his  visit, 
in  regular  order,  to  all  the  homes  of  the  school.  The  street 
family  index  cards  could  be  used  in  this.  Names  for 
Cradle  Roll  and  Home  Department,  for  new  teachers,  mem- 
bers of  adult  classes,  and  of  young  people  not  now  attend- 
ing Sunday  school,  of  new  families  near  by  unattached,  will 
be  gathered  and,  in  a  follow-up  plan,  with  the  cooperation 
of  his  associates,  will  be  added  to  school  and  church  mem- 
bership. Prayer  and  conference  with  the  mother  and 
father,  if  the  call  is  an  evening  one,  will  attach  them  to 
the  school,  discover  home  facts  to  be  communicated  to  the 
teacher,  and  may  be  the  means  of  winning  to  Christ  or  of 
inaugurating  family  prayer  in  the  home. 

This  plan  is  not  a  theory.  The  writer  utilized  the  hours 
after  business  in  just  this  way,  making  about  fifty  calls 
a  week,  and  with  precisely  these  results,  and  it  gave  a 
leverage  in  the  work  of  great  value.  The  personal  joy  in 
the  work  is  not  the  least  of  its  compensations. 

4.  Advertising  the  school.  (1)  Suggested  plans. — 
The  following  plans  may  be  suggested  as  methods  of  school 
advertising:  (a)  Through  the  use  of  the  columns  of  the 
local  newspaper  each  week  in  a  brightly  written  contribu- 
tion, with  catching  paragraph  captions,  covering  items  of 
general  social  and  local  interest,  quotations  from  prominent 
men  regarding  the  Bible  and  the  Sunday  school  to  dignify 
the  cause,  explanation  of  the  school  departments  and  items 
of  personal  mention  and  of  special  interest  in  their  con- 
duct, announcement  of  coming  events  in  the  school  life 
such  as  special  days,  organized  class  items,  the  social- 
service  activities  of  the  school,  notable  speakers,  orchestral 
attractions,  and  solo  or  special  features  of  the  Sunday  pro- 
gram. Most  newspapers  will  welcome  such  material,  es- 
pecially if  accompanied  by  photographs;  the  school  mem- 
bership will  read  it,  and  the  community  will  become  aware 


372  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

that  the  school  is  a  live  factor.  (&)  By  a  paid  attractive 
weekly  newspaper  advertisement,  such  as  ''Help  Wanted: 
1,000  people,"  etc.;  ''For  Rent:  Large  room,  etc.;  rent  free 
to  all  applying,"  etc.;  ''Lost:  an  old-fashioned  method  of 
running  a  Sunday  school,"  etc.;  "For  Sale:  sixty  minutes  of 
time,"  etc.  (c)  Through  the  church  calendar,  with  a  space 
regularly  occupied  by  school  notes,  these  notes  written  in 
a  newsy  way.  (d)  By  means  of  a  school  paper  or  news 
sheet  issued  monthly  or  quarterly,  giving  items  of  class, 
department,  and  school  interest,  names  of  new  pupils, 
honor  pupils,  interesting  selections,  messages  from  the 
superintendent,  and  campaign  plans.  The  cost  can  usually 
he  covered  through  advertisements,  hut  these  should  be 
sought  on  a  business  basis,  (e)  Through  cards,  folders, 
cartoons,  or  posters,  utilizing  display  type  and  colored  ink 
in  emphasizing  the  general  and  special  features  of  the 
work,  and  advertising  coming  campaigns  and  events;  these 
to  be  addressed,  where  possible,  and  distributed  to  the 
community  by  the  messenger  corps  or  by  selected  helpers, 
and  placed  in  store  windows,  hotels,  and  boarding  houses. 
(/)  By  the  use  of  a  year  book  illustrated  with  class  groups 
showing  officers,  organizations,  regular  and  special  events, 
and  motto,  (g)  By  such  special  methods  as  a  Sunday- 
school  blotting  pad,  or  a  foot  rule,  or  a  Sunday-school  cal- 
endar (with  the  school  and  its  services  and  attractions  and 
special  days  of  the  year  and  the  school's  goals  brightly 
set  out),  these  to  be  distributed  in  the  homes  of  the  school 
and  in  the  community,  and  posted  in  hotels,  post  office, 
railroad  station,  and  public  library,  (h)  By  attractive, 
large  bulletin-board  posters  on  the  exterior  of  the  building, 
with  some  special  weekly  feature  to  attract  continual  no- 
tice, (i)  By  covered  bulletin  boards  placed  at  street 
corners  within  a  radius  of  two  blocks  of  the  church,  an- 
nouncing on  Saturday  the  Sunday  items;  or  by  "Take  one" 
circulars.  (;)  Through  tag  "ads"  tied  loosely  to  door 
knobs.  (fc)  Through  a  Sunday-school  parade  emphasiz- 
ing departmental  features,      (l)  The  business  men  of  the 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  373 

school  or  schools  of  a  community  can  usually  secure  sev- 
eral columns  of  free  Sunday-school  news  space  in  the  local 
paper  by  calling  upon  the  editor  and  then  arranging  for 
sending  in  such  news.  In  Cleveland  schools  sent  such  items 
weekly  to  the  press  on  prepared  forms,  (m)  Through 
posters  on  trolley  cars,  especially  of  any  community  Sun- 
day-school campaign  or  event,  (n)  Invite  the  community 
to  a  departmental  Sunday-school  exhibit,  pageant,  or  song 
festival,  (o)  Keep  a  form  book,  under  special  captions, 
showing  plans  used  by  other  schools,  cut  from  leading 
Sunday-school  periodicals,  (p)  Have  a  reference  library 
of  books  on  Christ,  advertising  for  suggestions,  (q)  By 
the  changeable-letter  or  movable-type  signs  furnished  by 
Sunday-school  supply  houses,  (r)  Through  the  use  of  a 
blackboard  on  the  exterior  of  the  building,  artistically  ad- 
vertising a  coming  event,  (s)  Repeat  postcards  to  a  com- 
munity nonmembers  list,  every  few  weeks  changing  the 
form  of  presentation;  then  have  personal  calls  made,  (t) 
Offer  a  reward  for  the  best  posters  advertising  suggestions 
for  a  special  day  or  for  a  membership  drive,  (u)  Study 
methods  of  catching  attention  in  present-day  publicity. 
"You  are  cordially  invited"  never  gets  across,  (v)  Use  a 
school  slogan  in  all  publicity,  (w)  Use  a  display  window 
banner  by  some  merchant  for  a  special  exhibit,  such  as  for 
Children's  Week,  with  attractive  posters  on  the  sides  and 
back. 

(2)  The  puhlicity  committee. — A  review  of  these  sug- 
gestions must  impress  one  with  the  importance  of  a  pub- 
licity or  advertising  committee  to  work  with  the  superin- 
tendent in  a  campaign  of  school  publicity.  A  business 
man,  a  young  man  with  the  advertising  instinct,  and  a 
young  woman  with  skill  in  designing  or  drawing  should 
make  a  good  committee. 

The  committee  should  make  a  study  of  such  books  as 
Handbook  of  Church  Advertising,  Case;  Church  Publicity, 
Reisner;  Publicity  and  Progress,  Smith;  and  Principles  of 
Successful  Church  Advertising,  Stelzle.    It  should  subscribe 


374  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

for  The  ChurcJi  School  (150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City). 
It  may  study  Chapter  XXV  in  Sunday  School  Officers' 
Manual,  Brown.  From  this  material  a  fine  preparation  for 
service  should  he  made. 

The  committee  should  compile  a  form  hook  of  hest  plans, 
under  appropriate  headings,  as  "Rally  Day,"  "Easter,"  etc., 
for  use  as  the  opportunity  arrives. 

In  cooperation  with  the  superintendent  a  six-months  or  a 
year's  advertising  campaign  should  be  worked  out  and 
presented  for  discussion  in  the  workers'  conference.  The 
general  principle  of  such  advertising  should  be  the  repe- 
tition of  impression.  Organized  classes  and  departments 
should  be  asked  to  appoint  someone  to  report  weekly  in 
writing  items  of  interest  for  press,  calendar,  and  local 
paper.  The  committee  should  be  furnished  with  a  mimeo- 
graph, multigraph,  or  some  apparatus  for  duplicating.  A 
good  committee  can  greatly  assist  the  school  contacts  with 
pupils  and  the  home  by  suggesting  attractive  forms  of 
birthday  and  other  letters. 

5.  The  pupil's  cooperation.  (1)  Contest  plans. — 
These  may  occur  between  schools  on  matters  of  enroll- 
ment, new  pupils,  and  attendance;  between  departments  of 
the  same  school,  between  classes,  or  between  sides  or  sexes 
in  the  school.  Sometimes  the  contest  plans  apply  to  church 
attendance  or  lesson  study. 

A  popular  form  of  such  contest  for  new  pupils  is  known 
as  "the  reds  and  the  blues."  This  requires  the  choosing  of 
captains,  the  wearing  of  colors  or  buttons  by  the  respective 
sides,  the  appointment  of  a  contest  committee,  a  limitation 
of  the  time  of  the  contest,  and  a  treat  at  the  close  furnished 
by  the  school,  the  winners  securing  the  choice  end  of  the 
feast,  and  the  losers  plain  refreshments.  In  many  places 
such  contests  have  substantially  increased  attendance  and 
membership,  and  there  has  been  the  best  of  feeling.  Great 
care  should  be  exercised,  however,  that  pupils  are  not 
taken  from  other  schools.  To  do  this  comes  dangerously 
near  breaking  the  eighth  commandment.     There  have  been 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  375 

instances  where  other  schools  have  been  depleted  by  such 
contests,  and  hard  feeling  engendered. 

It  is  usual  in  such  plans  to  announce  the  results  from 
week  to  week  by  means  of  the  blackboard  or  a  large  poster. 

Aids  in  developing  friendly  contests  are:  (a)  Give  a 
reward  at  the  end  of  an  announced  period  to  each  pupil 
bringing  a  new  pupil.  (&)  Give  a  "Get  One"  ticket  or  a 
coupon  to  each  contestant,  successful  names  to  be  entered 
upon  the  blackboard,  (c)  Distribute  picture  postcards  of 
church  and  school,  with  or  without  a  special  invitation 
printed  thereon,  for  pupils  or  contestants  to  send  to  friends. 
id)  Have  a  visitors'  day,  ribbons  to  be  worn  by  visitors: 
red  if  invited  by  boys,  blue  if  invited  by  girls,  (e)  The  Bap- 
tist Temple,  Brooklyn,  had  a  "builders"  contest,  the  names 
of  the  classes  and  the  number  of  new  pupils  brought  in  by 
each  class  being  placed  on  an  arch  erected  on  the  platform 
on  Children's  Day.  In  addition,  the  girl  who  had  brought 
the  largest  number  marched  down  the  aisle  with  her  five 
new  members  and,  during  the  "Temple  Builders  Exercise," 
was  crowned  after  words  of  commendation  by  the  pastor. 
(/)  Read  C.  D.  Meigs's  Red  Book  for  a  little  ginger  on  the 
building  up  of  Sunday  schools.  Large  thermometers  are 
useful  as  records  of  our  new  pupils'  progress,  (g)  Con- 
tests between  schools  are  popular  on  the  basis  of  attendance 
and  growth  over  an  agreed  period,  with  recognition  by 
banner  to  the  winning  school  and  by  ribbons  for  the  best 
class  records  in  growth  and  attendance:  a  blue  ribbon  to  the 
class  with  the  best  record  in  either,  a  red  ribbon  to  the 
second  best,  and  a  white  to  the  third,  and  a  gold  ribbon  to 
classes  with  a  perfect  attendance  over  the  thirteen  Sundays 
of  the  contest.  (7i)  An  efficiency  contest  between  sides  in 
the  school  in  a  thirteen-week  competition  on  the  following 
points:  50  points  for  a  map  of  Palestine  showing  lesson 
locations;  25  points  for  learning  a  hymn,  "Awake,  My 
Soul";  25  points  for  learning  the  twenty-third- Psalm;  50 
points  for  learning  the  Ten  Commandments;  30  points  for 
"on  time";  20  points  for  church  attendance.     So  enthusias- 


376  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

tic  became  the  participants  in  one  such  contest  that  they 
asked  for  another  similar  contest  the  next  quarter,  (i) 
Regular  attendance  on  one  school  was  encouraged  by  a 
class-pennant  contest,  the  class  pennants  being  placed 
opposite  the  percentage  figure  earned  for  the  previous  Sun- 
day, with  special  recognition  for  a  monthly,  quarterly  and 
yearly  record.  (;)  The  First  Baptist  Sunday  School  of 
Pomona,  California,  put  on  a  departmental  contest  for  de- 
partments above  the  Junior,  covering  attendance,  20  per 
cent;  on  time,  30  per  cent;  lesson  study,  20  per  cent;  church 
attendance,  30  per  cent.  Additional  credits  were  given  for 
new  members  and  visitors.  Each  department,  too,  recog- 
nized the  best  class  record  within  the  department.  The 
contest  ran  for  thirteen  weeks.  The  average  percentage  for 
promptness  was  90  as  against  33  formerly;  percentage  of 
attendance  to  roll,  85;  lesson  study,  88  per  cent;  church  at- 
tendance, 90  per  cent,  (k)  In  a  contest  for  new  members, 
Sunday-school  and  church  attendance,  promptness,  memory 
work  (for  beginners  and  primary  children),  and  offering, 
the  First  Baptist  Sunday  School  of  San  Jose,  California, 
ran  its  membership  from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand. 
Its  rewards  were  Bibles,  a  conquest  flag,  and  pennants. 
The  young  people  undertook  to  make  one  thousand  calls 
in  ten  weeks.  A  campaign  song,  "We  Are  Working  for 
One  Thousand,"  helped  create  enthusiasm.  (I)  An  army- 
and-navy  contest  plan  was  adopted  by  one  school,  with  the 
use  of  post  cards  and  posters.  Each  week  the  "new  re- 
cruits" and  "new  marines"  were  posted,  (m)  A  small- 
town school  arranged  a  ward  contest,  dividing  the  school 
membership  into  the  four  wards  in  which  they  resided, 
appointing  ward  captains,  etc.,  and  enlisting  local  ward 
spirit  for  new  members,  (n)  Automobile  contests  among 
classes  are  frequent.  Each  class  selects  its  make  of  auto. 
Cuts  are  secured  of  these,  and  the  classes  progress  from 
point  to  point  along  some  well-known  local  highway  or 
across  country  to  well-known  cities,  according  to  points  for 
new  members,  for  department  or  school,  perfect  class  at- 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  377 

tendance,  offering,  and  church  attendance.  This  method 
can  be  individualized  within  a  class,  each  boy  having  his 
make  of  auto  and  including  as  contest  points  memory  work 
(such  as  the  Bible  alphabet,  John  14,  and  the  Beatitudes) 
and  lesson  study,  (o)  A  Bible-baseball  week-night  contest 
was  used  in  one  school,  captains  and  sides  being  chosen, 
and  four  questions  asked  of  each  pupil,  he  advancing  to 
bases  on  a  small  indoor  diamond,  (p)  A  novel  plan  em- 
ployed by  a  Chatham,  Illinois,  school  was  a  "speeder"  con- 
test, classes  being  represented  by  a  locomotive,  submarine 
tank,  airplane,  automobile,  motor  cycle,  etc.,  and  advancing 
each  week  along  wires  according  to  points  gained  for  new 
members,  church  attendance,  etc.  (q)  Rather  than  spread 
the  contest  to  cover  many  things  a  school  found  its  best 
results  in  a  one-point  contest  running  for  three  months 
at  a  time,  beginning  the  year  with  a  contest  for  new  mem- 
bers, then  for  attendance  in  the  spring  and  early  summer, 
then  for  contributions  or  raising  money  for  special  pur- 
poses, then  for  home  study,  (r)  The  one  Sunday  school 
at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  in  a  six-months  contest  with 
a  Sunday  school  in  another  town,  built  its  membership 
from  194  to  360,  until  practically  everyone  in  the  town  was 
enrolled.  The  losing  school  gave  a  copy  of  "The  Last 
Supper"  to  Wilbraham.  An  organized  adult  red-and-blue 
contest  helped,  so  that  115  men  were  out,  and  on  a  stormy 
Sunday,  (s)  The  Dexter  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Sun- 
day School  of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  carried  out  a  hot- 
weather,  military,  new-member  contest,  with  a  war  council, 
red  and  blue  battalions,  in  which  all  the  school  were 
placed.  Officers  wore  sleeve  bands  indicating  their  rank. 
Each  Sunday  of  the  thirteen  summer  days  was  a  special 
day:  Fathers',  temperance.  Home  Department,  China,  pa- 
triotic. Cradle  Roll,  peace,  missionary,  girls',  boys',  "Keep 
kool,"  and  song  service.  A  different  class  was  responsible 
for  each  day.  (t)  The  airship-contest  flight  (Goodenough 
and  Woglom  Company,  New  York  City)  is  one  of  the  best. 
Each  class  has  its  airship,     The  contest  can  include  what- 


378  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

ever  features  are  the  objectives.  The  airship  name  is  that 
of  some  Christian  leader.  The  goals  are  world  cities,  with 
facts  concerning  them.  The  contest  is  educational  and 
stimulating,  (w)  To  guard  against  the  after-Christmas 
slump  a  school  on  the  first  Sunday  in  January  instituted 
a  Washington's  Birthday  contest,  the  pupil  having  a  per- 
fect-attendance record  on  the  Sundays  between  being  given 
a  Washington  button  and  a  small  flag,  and  the  class  with 
a  perfect-attendance  record  a  picture  of  Washington;  the 
next  best  class  receiving  a  flag,  (v)  Adult-class  contests 
may  run  between  different  classes  of  approximately  the 
same  size,  whether  of  men  or  women,  or  between  equal 
divisions  of  the  same  class.  A  goal  is  usually  fixed,  mili- 
tary ofllcers  are  appointed,  and  assignments  of  new-member 
objectives  are  made,  (w)  The  Westminster  Presbyterian 
Sunday  School  of  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  worked  a 
splendid  plan  of  living  pyramids.  The  school  was  divided 
into  four  divisions — ^Adult  Bible  Class,  Senior,  Interme- 
diate, and  a  fourth  division  of  Junior,  Primary,  and  Be- 
ginners. Each  division  had  a  commander  and  was  repre- 
sented by  a  pyramid  of  gold  or  red  or  green  or  blue  blocks. 
The  background  of  the  pyramid  was  blue.  Each  block 
represented  a  new  member.  Above  each  pyramid  location 
were  the  number  of  the  division,  its  commander,  and  its 
composition.  The  pyramids  must  be  built  to  a  certain  goal 
height.  To  each  one  bringing  in  a  new  member  a  builders' 
certificate  was  given.  The  appeal  was  very  effective,  (x) 
The  Central  Baptist  Sunday  School  of  Kansas  City  prepared 
a  large  map  of  its  surrounding  territory  divided  into  thirty- 
six  sections  of  six  blocks  each.  A  manager  was  appointed 
for  each  division,  and  every  pupil  over  sixteen  was  as- 
signed to  a  division.  Two  cards  were  given  the  visitors, 
one  as  an  introduction  and  welcome  card  to  the  school, 
the  other  as  a  survey  card,  to  report  the  family  number, 
adults,  boys,  girls,  babies  for  the  Cradle  Roll,  etc.,  with  a 
place  for  remarks.  The  visitation  was  made  in  the  after- 
noons, and  the  results  were  very  successful. 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  379 

(2)  Other  plans. — In  most  of  these  plans  are  suggested 
a  goal  and  a  reward  within  reach  of  all:  (a)  The  recruit 
plan  organizes  the  school  into  an  army — "Soldiers  of  the 
Cross" — with  a  motto — "The  World  for  Christ."  Commis- 
sions are  issued,  and  ribbon  badges  and  stripes  worn  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  new  scholars  brought  in.  One 
new  pupil  constitutes  a  contestant  a  private;  for  two  a 
corporal's  commission  is  given;  for  three  a  sergeant's; 
running  up  to  a  general's,  requiring  twelve  or  fifteen.  A 
roll  for  the  privates  may  be  kept,  and  one  for  officers,  the 
star  opposite  the  officer's  name  indicating  the  rank.  Tags 
may  be  given  for  each  officer,  one  side  indicating  whether 
he  is  a  private,  a  corporal,  etc.,  and  the  other  side  indicat- 
ing the  required  number  of  new  pupils  for  promotion. 
These  tags  are  to  be  exchanged  for  others  as  the  require- 
ments are  met.  (&)  Ribbon  badges  may  be  given — a  red 
ribbon  for  one  new  pupil,  a  white  one  for  two,  and  a  blue 
one  for  three,  with  a  banquet  to  all.  (c)  Cards  may  be 
distributed  to  school  for  names,  addresses,  and  ages  of 
other  members  of  family  and  friends  not  in  any  school. 
These  names  to  be  assorted  and  followed  up  by  commit- 
tee or  department  heads  or  classes  and  reported  on.  A  care- 
ful letter  of  invitation  and  school  folder,  with  introduction 
card,  should  be  sent  to  all  new  names  by  the  school  super- 
intendent, id)  Make  up  lists  of  young  men  and  young 
women  not  in  the  Sunday  school,  arrange  a  number  as  a 
probable  class,  get  a  good  teacher  pledged  to  take  them, 
and  then  see  and  persuade  each  one  to  become  a  member 
of  that  class.  S.  W.  Neal,  of  Washington,  Iowa,  added  one 
new  class  a  week  for  a  time  on  a  similar  plan,  (e)  The 
Central  Christian  Sunday  School  of  San  Antonio,  Texas, 
has  a  "Five  Hundred  New  Pupils'  Club,"  150  of  the  pupils 
pledging  for  work.  Names  of  the  150  were  plainly  written 
upon  a  large  canvas  board,  and  gold  stars  were  added  to 
their  names  for  each  new  pupil.  (/)  ''Resolved,  That  we 
double  the  school  in  sixty  days"  was  printed  upon  circular 
pieces  of  cardboard  one  foot  in  diameter  and  placed  all 


380  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

about  the  school  room  by  one  school.  The  pupils  wore  small 
tags  with  the  same  words  and  sought  to  make  good  their 
resolution,  (g)  Department  goals  are  helpful.  Divide  the 
school  goal  among  the  departments,  so  that  each  department 
shall  know  its  share  and  work  for  it.  (h)  Get  lists  of 
"prospects"  from  the  church  record — church  members  not 
now  members  of  the  Sunday  school;  from  real-estate 
brokers  of  new  families  buying  or  moving  in;  from  Y.  M. 
C.  A,  or  Y.  W.  C.  A.  secretaries;  from  social  and  other  club 
lists;  from  marriage-license  records;  from  students  at 
business  or  other  colleges  and  conservatories;  from  birth 
announcements;  from  public-school  enrollment  lists;  from 
boarding  houses;  from  business  men's  clubs;  from  the 
county  assessor's  list;  from  election-district  lists;  from  au- 
tomobile-license lists,  (i)  Tags  may  be  marked  for  the 
school  with  a  few  words  of  bright  advertising.  (;)  Have 
the  pastor  get  all  the  church  and  church  organizations 
behind  a  new  membership  drive,  assigning  to  each  organ- 
ization its  due  share  and  responsibility  for  building  up  the 
Bible-study  service  of  the  church.  Lists  for  such  an  effort 
may  be  obtained  by  giving  out  blank  cards  at  a  church 
service  or  from  the  lists  named  under  "7i."  A  Sunday- 
school  membership  month  may  be  named  for  this.  The 
plans  should  be  well  advertised  in  the  church  calendar, 
on  a  bulletin  board,  or  in  the  local  press,  (k)  Introduce 
new  members  each  Sunday  or  once  a  month  and  welcome 
them  with  the  school  handclasp.  In  our  school  the  hands 
are  clasped  over  the  head  in  token  of  welcome  to  new 
members  or  special  visitors.  School  pins  should  be  pinned 
upon  those  new  members  who  can  be  called  to  the  front. 
(l)  After  getting  lists  of  non-Sunday-school  adults  in  the 
community,  send  a  letter  appealing  for  their  membership 
on  the  basis  of  the  necessity  of  supporting  a  school  of  re- 
ligious education  in  the  community  for  the  sake  of  the 
homes  of  to-day  and  to-morrow  and  for  the  best  citizenship, 
(m)  A  "Family  Day"  plan  was  adopted  by  one  school. 
The  superintendent  asked  first  for  pupils  to  raise  hands 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  381 

where  there  was  one  member  in  the  family  not  attending 
the  Sunday  school.  Such  names  were  noted  upon  the  board. 
Then  he  asked  where  there  were  two  now  attending.  The 
results  showed  a  large  number  of  new  members.  He  then 
made  each  class  responsible  for  bringing  in,  on  Family 
Day,  as  many  parents  or  visitors  or  new  members  as  their 
class  showed  in  the  aggregate  of  non-family  attendants. 
On  Family  Day  credit  was  given  opposite  each  class  name 
for  members  or  substitutes.  Those  who  came  as  visitors 
were  given  special  attention  and  assigned  to  classes  where 
desired,  (n)  An  Eskimo  igloo  was  built  by  one  school  in 
the  wintertime.  A  table  was  covered  with  cotton  batting 
and  sprinkled  with  snow  powder.  Against  the  wall  was  a 
sheet  of  sky-blue  cardboard  for  a  background.  Bricks  were 
covered  with  plain  white  paper.  Each  Sunday  any  class 
having  brought  in  a  new  member  sent  a  representative  to 
the  platform  to  add  a  block  on  which  were  inscribed  the 
date,  name  of  class,  and  name  of  new  pupil.  A  reward  was 
given  to  the  class  with  the  best  record,  (o)  A  tank  plan 
for  new  members  will  take  with  the  boys.  Tank  posters 
and  post  cards  can  be  used.  A  certain  number  of  "captives" 
(new  members)  can  be  named  as  the  objective  of  each 
class.  The  class  name  can  appear  on  the  tank,  and  oppo- 
site it  the  class  record,  (p)  Use  a  blue-button  plan  for 
those  who  bring  in  five  members — for  any  school  depart- 
ment. If  desired,  buttons  of  other  colors  may  be  used  for 
a  smaller  or  larger  number.  A  blue-button  service  at  the 
end  of  a  six  months'  period  or  a  year  will  recognize  those 
who  were  successful,  (q)  Send  a  cordial  letter  of  welcome 
to  every  new  pupil  and  one  of  appreciation  to  the  one  in- 
troducing him.  (r)  A  Christian  service  flag  was  dedicated 
in  one  school  for  a  campaign  of  new  members.  At  the  top 
left-hand  corner  was  the  blue  square  with  a  red  cross;  on 
the  right  were  the  initials  of  the  school  in  blue;  and  around 
all  was  a  border  of  red.  The  names  of  classes  were  printed 
on  heavy  white  paper  and  pasted  on  the  flag  below  the  cross. 
Opposite  the  names  red  stars  were  placed  each  Sunday  for 


382  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

new  members.  (s)  The  Presbyterian  Sunday  School  of 
Morris,  Illinois,  arranged  a  standing  gold  cross  in  the  cen- 
ter of  a  field  of  white  and  against  a  round  shield  of  blue. 
In  crescent  form  below  were  placed  the  large  department 
or  class  stars  of  different  colors.  Below  these  were  placed 
smaller  stars  for  new  members.  The  Cradle  Roll  and  Home 
Departments  had  their  places.  (t)  A  Booster  Brigade 
may  be  built  about  the  Andrew  and  Simon  principle,  a 
pupil  wearing  the  Booster  pin  when  he  has  qualified  by 
bringing  in  one  new  pupil,  (w)  One  superintendent  ap- 
pointed his  assistant  to  be  attendance  manager  of  the 
school.  He  prepared  a  map  of  the  town,  appointed  a  super- 
visor in  each  district  to  report  each  Sunday  each  new 
family  that  came  into  the  district,  with  the  name  of  the 
family,  and  names  of  adults,  boys,  girls,  etc.  The  manager 
then  turned  these  names  over  to  the  lookout  committees 
of  the  classes  or  departments.  He  kept  tab,  through  a  card 
file,  of  the  classes  of  those  where  attendance  was  dropping 
off,  and  at  once  went  to  the  class  to  talk  it  over  and  plan 
for  a  recovery.  He  asked  school  members  convenient  to 
absentees  to  call  and  report,  (v)  The  superintendent  may 
take  classes  into  his  confidence,  state  the  case  frankly  as 
to  school  or  neighborhood,  and  ask  classes  to  discuss  their 
responsibility  and  advise  him  what  share  they  will  take 
in  a  new-member  campaign.  The  classes  and  their  accept- 
ance as  to  number  may  be  posted,  and  the  record  of  new 
members  made  against  this  each  Sunday  of  the  campaign. 
(w)  Have  a  "pull-together"  campaign,  using  a  race  goal, 
boat  terms,  and  boat  illustrations  on  cards  and  posters,  the 
name  of  each  class  or  department  being  shown  on  the 
boat,  and  progress  indicated  in  realizing  class  or  depart- 
ment membership  objectives. 

(3)  Special  suggestions. —  (a)  A  free  monthly  social  or 
motion-picture  or  stereopticon  or  other  entertainment  for 
classes  or  pupils  with  perfect  record  for  the  preceding 
month.  (&)  A  free  honor-class  banquet  to  classes  with  the 
best    six    months'    record    of    attendance,    others    paying; 


THE  SCHOOL'S  UPBUILDING  383 

honor  pennants  to  be  awarded  then.  (c)  A  midwinter 
rally,  a  social  evening,  when  reports  of  past  campaigns 
may  be  made,  and  a  new  one  projected,  (d)  Distribute 
special  service  card,  with  assignment  to  class  or  department 
of  some  specific  service  in  building  the  school.  Report  a 
month  later  to  school  the  progress  of  this  service. 

After  a  membership  campaign  have  a  campaign  of  con- 
servation and  an  intensive  drive  looking  to  developing 
class  and  departmental  activities;  a  school  orchestra;  so- 
cials for  newly  enrolled  members  for  acquaintance  and  to 
inspire  them  for  Christian  service,  to  promote  inner  prayer 
circles  for  the  winning  to  Christ  and  his  service  of  every 
member  of  the  class  and  department  and  school.  For, 
after  all,  this  is  the  final  purpose  of  all  contests  and  efforts 
— to  draw  every  soul  to  Christ,  to  build  up  every  soul  in 
Christ,  and  to  send  out  every  soul  for  Christ. 

Bibliography 

Handbook  of  Church  Advertising,  Case. 

How  to  Advertise  a  Church,  Elliott. 

Organizing  and  Building  Up  the  Sunday  School,  Hurlbut. 

The  Sunday  School  and  the  Pastor,  Faris. 

Church  Puhlicity,  Reisner. 

Topic  for  Special   Study 

The  permanent  results  of  some  actual  contests. 

Topics   for  Class  Discussion 

1.  Name  several  ways  in  which  the  pastor  can  aid  in 
school  upbuilding. 

2.  How  can  the  superintendent  help  at  home? 

3.  How  can  he  assist  on  the  field? 

4.  What  methods  can  be  used  in  school  advertising? 

5.  Name  several  of  best  contest  plans. 

6.  What  methods  can  be  used  to  secure  lists  of  non- 
Sunday-school  attendants  in  the  community? 

7.  How  can  the  pupil  be  used  as  a  school  builder? 


^i''i'Mni^M?n„.L^^°'°^'^3'   Seminary  Libraries 


1    1012  01237   1979 


Date  Due 

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